


Swipe Right for Slow Burn Regret

by JinxedAmbitions



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Dates, Awkward Sexual Situations, Bad Sex, Blow Jobs, Frottage, Hux doth protest too much, M/M, Online Dating, Romantic Comedy, Tattoo Artist Kylo, Teacher Hux, Unreliable Narrator, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2018-09-24 12:08:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 66,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9725705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxedAmbitions/pseuds/JinxedAmbitions
Summary: Workaholic Hux doesn’t have time for relationships.  He barely has time to grade all of his assignments while also ensuring that his students are the highest achieving in the school.  When his friend and fellow teacher, Ms. Phasma, suggests he just needs to get laid, he’s skeptical.  She decides some no-strings-attached sex is just what he needs, and no better place to find it than the internet. It’s all fine until he accidentally swipes right on Ben “Call me Kylo” Solo, and they’re a match.  With more tattoos than teeth and a profile proclaiming him a "seminary dropout," what could possibly go wrong? Hux is certainly going to find out.A romance about awkward dates, bad sex, miscommunication, and finding love despite one’s better judgment.





	1. The Great Drought

**Author's Note:**

> So, I've written a fic or two every Valentine's Day that I've been in a fandom, and this fic is this year's contribution. Though the Valentine's chapter is a couple a way.

The caffeine withdrawal was setting in as Armitage stepped into the dreaded faculty room.  He avoided the place at all costs, unless of course he hadn’t had a chance to fill his forty ounce thermos of coffee that morning. The faculty room was a disaster of clashing tastes and unwanted items shuffled off in hopes of someone taking them, but it did have four functioning coffee makers...and one of those silly single serves.  As though Hux could ever survive on a single 10 ounce cup.  He’d rather face his students without any plans than go without sufficient coffee.

Hux shuffled into the room as quietly as possible. Thankfully, there weren’t usually too many people in there this early.  Hux tended to arrive before most of the other instructors, and if they did happen through they tended to put their lunch away and leave immediately. No time for gossip, which was the way Hux preferred it.

The thermos was placed on the counter as Hux opened the closet, looking for the tin of coffee beans he kept here for mornings like this. He located it on the top shelf where he'd hoped others wouldn’t touch it. The seal he’d put on it to alert him to theft was broken...again.  Hux sighed, hoping that whoever had been stealing his organic Guatemalan coffee beans had actually left him some.  

“What brings Mr. Hux to the cursed faculty room?” Ms. Phasma asked from the doorway.  Hux turned to glare at the Physical Education teacher. Somehow, despite the awful silver track suit she wore, Phasma managed to look completely put together. Hux appreciated that about her.

“Someone tampered with my alarm, and I was nearly late,” Hux gritted out.

Phasma shrugged, completely unapologetic. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I know you’ve got the science fair and the robotics competition on your mind, but even you need a solid four hours,” she said, walking over to him and adding two heaping scoops of beans to the grinder.

“I don’t appreciate your meddling or your theft of my beans,” he told her.

“You shouldn’t leave your phone unattended when you use the bathroom if you don’t want meddling, and those beans are in the community cabinet.”

“I didn’t leave it unattended; you were supposed to watch it while I used the restroom. I refuse to bring it into a room filled with more germs than your damn locker room,” Hux insisted, pulling a marker out of his pocket and writing HUX’S, DO NOT USE on the tin of beans.

Phasma snorted. He knew she’d use them anyway, and he also knew he could just as easily keep them in his classroom if he truly preferred not to share.

Instead of arguing, Hux put the ground beans in the filter and placed it in the coffee maker with the largest pot.  He flipped the switched and turned to Phasma as he waited for his coffee to brew.

“Why are you in so early?” he asked.  Phasma didn’t really have to prep her materials for the day, especially since they were on the basketball unit.  All she needed was the bin of balls and a bottle of aspirin for the inevitable headache, and she was ready to go.

“The wife’s away on business,” she replied, opening the refrigerator and looking through the contents people had forgotten there.  She pulled out an old cake that had been for someone’s birthday earlier in the week and set about cutting herself a slice.

“No one to cook you breakfast?” Hux asked, arching an eyebrow as she cut a large piece.

Phasma laughed. “No one to have wake-up sex with actually. You know if you were getting sex regularly, you might sleep better at night,” she said.

Hux rolled his eyes.  Even his students liked to ask if he was seeing anyone.  It was frustrating.  How was he supposed to have time to date when he had plans to write, papers to grade, science fairs to coordinate?  There wasn’t time to waste on awkward dates that led nowhere.

If there was a way to be given the perfect mate without having to go through the horrors of dating, Hux would sign up for it. There wasn't, and ordering a bride or husband over the internet was frowned upon. Not to mention, he wouldn't know what to do with one when they arrived. He didn't need someone to cook or clean, and he certainly didn't want to have to talk to them. No, he was better off alone. Hux didn't need anyone but Millicent.

“You know what’s coming up, Hux?” Phasma asked, stealing a fork out of the dish rack and digging into her breakfast cake.

“The science fair,” Hux replied, watching his coffee brew. If only it would go a little faster, so he could escape to his classroom where he was relatively safe from getting the third degree.

“Other than the science fair,” Phasma said with a heavy sigh, like Hux was particularly trying.  She didn’t have a leg to stand on since she was the one bothering him before his morning coffee--a very dangerous time of day for those looking to irritate him.

“The robotics competition,” he said quickly.  Maybe if he just slid the coffee maker to the edge of the counter, he could hold his thermos under it and eliminate a step.  He should really suggest to one of his students that a coffee robot would be an ideal choice for the competition.  Perhaps Finn could be persuaded, though his project on lasers was quite brilliant too.

“No, other than that.  It’s February,” She said in a voice that told him it should be obvious.

“Groundhogs day has passed already, Phasma, and no matter what that infernal rodent says, there are still _seven_ weeks before the vernal equinox. Spring does not simply happen because we abuse an animal and call it weather forecasting…”

“Dammit, Hux.  It’s February sixth.  Valentine’s Day is in like a week.  Pull your head out of your ass and get yourself laid.  You could really use it. Everyone could really use it.”

“Excuse me…”

“Seriously,” Poe said, stepping into the faculty room at precisely the wrong moment.

Hux glared at the universally adored teacher.  “My personal life is none of your business,” Hux informed them.

“Dude, it’s been what?  Three years?  The seniors call it the Great Drought,” Poe said as he walked toward the fridge.  “There still cake?” he asked Phasma.

“Yeah, pretty good too,” Phasma told him around a mouthful of said cake.

“You are both immature and unprofessional,” Hux said, pulling his coffee pot and pouring it into his thermos before jamming it back into place and walking out with only a half filled thermos.  They likely harassed him just to steal his coffee. This was a hostile work environment.

Still, their words hung in his mind as he prepared for the day’s lessons.  It had been nearly three years since his last girlfriend decided she couldn’t compete with his love for his job.  She’d dumped him weeks before the science fair, and he’d hardly noticed she’d moved out until the event was over.  She’d even left the engagement ring on his nightstand, and he hadn’t realized it until he knocked it off one morning in mid April.

Did the kids really know how vacant his personal life was?  Did they see his perfectly ironed shirts and know he stood there in the morning, ironing his suits while his coffee brewed?  Did they know he went home and considered grading their work his leisure reading?

“I am pathetic,” Hux said to the little robot one of his students had made him for last year’s competition.  The droid beeped and whistled in response, but Hux ignored it.

Hux put those thoughts aside as the bell rang and students slowly began to filter into the classroom.  Rey was one of the first students into the room, carrying a backpack almost as large as she was.  

“Mr. Hux?” she asked, dropping her bag at her table with a loud thud.

“Yes, Rey?” Hux responded as he began writing several equations on the board for students to solve as they walked in.

“Do you have any of the flyers for the Valentine’s candy-grams?” she asked him, walking up to his desk.

Hux huffed.  He’d planned to just toss the stack of flyers in the scrap paper pile since the students never actually read any of the papers he handed out during homeroom.  

“The pink monstrosities on the left hand side,” he said glancing over his shoulder at the massive stack.

“Thanks, Mr. Hux,” she said in the eternally cheerful voice of hers. Even when she was furious, which he’d seen twice during her time in his class, she still sounded strangely upbeat.  

“And who are you buying sweets for?” he asked, feeling like he should say something.

Rey bit her lip for a moment, but she shrugged.  “Finn.  He likes the chocolates with the little messages on the wrappers,” she said.  “Do you have anyone to buy chocolates for, Mr. Hux.”

Hux groaned internally.  Rey would definitely be one of the students that called it the Great Drought.  She was a very practical girl, but she still had a rich imagination.

“Seeing as it’s only me and Millicent, and Millie can’t eat chocolates, no,” Hux told her.  Everyone knew Millicent.  Hux had several pictures of her hanging in his classroom.  The orange tabby was a bit like the class mascot, and Hux had even brought her to a few outdoor events.  She loathed the harness and leash, but she loved the attention the students gave her.

“Not even for Coach Phasma?” she asked.  

Hux knew the students believed that they were secretly an item even though Phasma was happily married, and her wife came to almost all of her teams’ games.  

“Coach Phasma does not need anymore sweets.  She is spoiled enough as it is,” Hux told her.  It wasn’t true.  Phasma was the most disciplined person Hux had ever met, but the woman did have a sweet tooth and a doting wife you supplied it.

“It’s the thought that counts, Mr. Hux,” Rey chastised him, filling the form out right in front of him and including a small parcel of chocolates for none other than him in her order.  “Everyone can use some chocolate,” she said, folding the paper up and slipping her hard earned money into it before putting it away.

Hux sighed.  He hated Valentine’s Day.  It was an excuse to be sentimental when there were much better uses of one’s time, such as coordinating the best possible science showcase a high school could offer.  Hux wasn’t emotionally stunted.  He just had his priorities straight.

He was saved from having to deal with further questioning as more students arrived.  Rey took it upon herself to hand out the candy-gram flyers, taking the time to whisper covertly to some of her classmates as she did.  Hux just tried to ignore them until the bell rang and silence reigned as he began his first lesson of the day.

At least, he still had some control in his life. His students knew that they had to be silent and diligent in their work in his class. He didn't accept slackers, and he didn't accept disrespect. All questions were welcome as were hard workers, but Hux didn't put up with troublemakers.

* * *

 Phasma was grinning as Hux entered the faculty room at lunch in order to refill his regretfully empty thermos.  It had only lasted him a period and a half, and he was already dragging.  Maybe she’d been right about needing some extra sleep, or maybe she'd replaced his beans with decaf.

“I need your phone,” Phasma said, holding out her hand as though he’d give it over right away.

“No.”

“Hux, this is an intervention.  Dameron and I believe that it’s time for desperate measures.  Mitaka agrees too,” she said.

Dopheld, their newest chemistry teacher, looked up from his lunch of leftover pasta.  The noodles hung from his lips as his eyes widened at being implicated in the plot.  He shook his head as Hux looked at him, noodles swaying.

“Doph says you’re lying.”

“Only because you have a say in whether he gets canned or not.  He’s concerned about you too,” Poe said, slapping Mitaka on the back and nearly making him choke.  Thankful, only the three of them were currently in the faculty room, so Hux’s humiliation wouldn’t be for all to see.

“I’m not handing any of you my phone,” Hux told them.

“Then you’ll have to deal with the choices we make on your Tinder profile,” Phasma said, sounding far too smug.

“What on earth is a Tinder, other than the obvious but clearly inapplicable definition?” Hux asked, scooping beans into his grinder again.

“It’s a dating app, but can be for getting laid. I mean you could use it for anything really, but we’re looking for you to have some good sex...I suggested Grindr, but Poe vetoed that.  He said you couldn’t handle it,” Phasma said. Hux wanted to argue for the sake of it, but he figured that was probably a battle to avoid.

“I am not seeking dates with strangers on the internet,” Hux informed them.

“Too late, I set up your account already.  You really need a more creative facebook password if you don’t want me to sign you up for these sorts of things,” she said, holding up her own phone with a picture of Hux on the screen.

“Is that a picture of me at the bar last night?” he asked, frowning.  Just how long had she been plotting this hostile coup for control of his dating life?

“No.”

“Hand it over, pal.  You don’t want to see the bear she almost swiped right for,” Poe told him.

Dopheld did choke that time, and Poe pounded him on the back until he coughed up the noodle responsible, though Hux would argue that Poe was the noodle responsible.  

“I will not—”

“Just give it a try.  It’s fun.  You get to look at shallow pictures of people and swipe right for 'I think they’re bangable' and left for 'not bangable.'  It’s like a game,” Phasma told him.

Hux narrowed his eyes but walked closer to her as his coffee began to brew again.  

“Watch,” she said, holding up her own phone.  She showed him a moderately attractive woman with short blonde hair and good bone structure.  “What do you think?” Phasma asked, flipping through several pictures of the woman.  She clearly enjoyed hiking and skiing and all things outdoors.

Hux shook his head.  Phasma nodded gravely.  “Didn’t think we could see the adventurer type, but that’s the beauty.  All you have to do is swipe left, and she’s gone,” Phasma told him, demonstrating how to say no to a candidate.  “Try it.”

Frowning, Hux took her phone and looked at the next person. This was a man, younger than Hux by several years.  He had light brown hair and a crooked smile. He was holding a beer in one picture and was wearing very little clothing in another.  “No,” Hux said, and Phasma took his finger and swiped the guy away.

“Not bad, right?” she asked, sounding pleased with herself.

“And what do they see when they look at me?”

Poe smiled at that.  “Take a look,” he said, reaching over and pressing the correct button on the screen.

Hux was greeted with the photo of himself at the bar.  Beneath it was a caption:

**Hux, 34, scary. I teach high school physics. I can cook and beat anyone in Jeopardy...don't try me. I enjoy wine and intellectually stimulating conversation. My students are my life, helping them to succeed is my greatest pleasure. I have a robot named BB-8 which I ~~cofiscated~~ received as a gift from students that records my lessons for absent students. **

“Why does it say I’m scary?” Hux asked. “And BB-8 was a gift. They just didn't have a choice in the matter. The winning robot must stay and be displayed.”

“Because you are. People are going to look at your picture and think, 'he's scary.' If you admit it, you're self aware and somehow less scary,” Poe said, grinning at him.

“I hate you all,” Hux told them, handing over his phone to Phasma for fear of what she’d do if left to her own devices.

“Just have fun with it.  You don’t have to actually meet any of them, just see what’s out there. Maybe use it for your spank bank.  It’ll be good for you.  You’re turning into a crazy cat physicist, and you only have one cat,” Phasma said, handing back his phone once the app was downloaded and signed in.

“You owe me a case of wine.  Each of you owe me a case of wine,” Hux said, pointing to each of them in turn.  “And you will all be chaperoning the science fair _and_ the robotics competition,” he added.

“No way.  We’re already helping you find love,” Poe insisted.

“You are just adding to my responsibilities during a time of year that I am already inundated, so you will pick up the slack if you expect me to have relations with any of these candidates,” Hux told them, turning on his heel and collecting his refill of coffee before retreating to his room again.

No one would ever know that he played around with the app throughout the rest of his lunch break, taking a little joy in rejecting people with just the swipe of a finger.  There was a strange high to being given such a simple power.


	2. Swipe...wait which way is...oh no

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up cutting this chapter in half because it got way longer than I'd originally imagined. I'm going to try to post the second half of it tomorrow or Sunday.

Hux sat on his couch with Millicent in his lap, his grade book on the arm of the chair, and his phone in hand.  He also had a glass of wine on the coffee table in front of him.  Mitaka had wasted no time buying Hux a bottle of his favorite wine.  In fact, he’d had it waiting for Hux by the end of the day.  Doph was definitely Hux’s favorite rookie teacher.  The man understood both what it took to be a good educator, and what it took to remain in Hux’s good graces while making his life hell.

“What do you think of him, Millicent?” Hux asked, holding the picture of a young man in front of her for approval.  The cat paid it no attention, instead purring as Hux rubbed behind her ears.  “I don’t think we’d be compatible. He clearly doesn’t own an iron, and I am not some chambermaid chained to the chores.  If he can’t iron his own shirts and pants, it’s not going to work. I refuse to be seen with a slob,” Hux lamented, swiping left and saying goodbye to yet another prospect.

So far, Hux had swiped yes for three people, none of which had turned out to be a match.  He wasn’t exactly sorry.  He’d swiped yes to one of them simply because he’d swiped no forty times in a row.  Yes, he was counting.  He considered this a science experiment, and if he did it right perhaps he could present the data at the science fair.  Something about what made people say yes to a particular person when everyone else around was a no.  

Hux’s hypothesis so far was that people had just simply said no so many times that they picked someone at random and stuck with it.  

Glancing a his glass of wine then at his grading, Hux sighed.  He should finish the work he’d been doing before he took a break to play around with this addictive app.  

Hux got up, deftly moving Millicent up and over his shoulder like a baby without angering her.  He moved into the kitchen with his empty glass and filled it again.  It really was a great wine.  Mitaka should be commended for listening when Hux spoke...or asking Phasma what his favorite was.  Either way, his initiative was serving Hux well.

He seated himself at the breakfast nook and began swiping again.  The wine was beginning to make his head a bit fuzzy, and Hux spent more time scrutinizing each person that popped up, not wanting to accidentally miss his soulmate...or a good match in bed.

Millicent seated herself on the countertop, stretching out and accepting Hux’s touches as he mumbled to himself about each person.  “He looks like he can cook, something about the eyes, I think,” Hux said, looking at a lithe man in a cardigan.  

Hux put down his phone after swiping yes, and went to the bathroom.  Perhaps Millicent would choose a partner for him while he pissed.  It was no such luck.  Hux was definitely feeling the heavy wine though.  When he came back and sat down, he tried to blink several times to focus his eyes as he looked at the next prospect.

“Dear lord,” he said, looking at the man.  He had long dark hair that fell in waves to his shoulders.  In the first picture, he wore a sleeveless shirt with the arm holes cut almost to his waist.  He held a practice sword. His arms and what Hux could see of his chest were covered in tattoos.  Hux was appalled, but he clicked to see what other pictures the man had.  There was another of him in a tattered shirt with a tattooing needle in his gloved hands. Another picture was of him in what looked like a priest’s collar...and not much else.

“What on earth,” Hux said, scrolling to see the bio.  It read: Seminary dropout turned tattoo artist.  I can wax philosophical while I give you that ironic tattoo you’ve always dreamed of.  I know a hundred ways to kill a man, but I prefer to kill it in the gym.

“What an idiot,” Hux said, showing Millicent the offensive profile.  He went to swipe it away, but he ended up swiping to the next picture which was of a back tattoo. The man stood with his back to the camera, and his arms out wide. While most of his back was covered in ink, Hux could see the definition of his muscles as well.  The tattoo was mostly religious imagery, Eve’s temptation, Lot’s wife turning to salt, every moment of temptation the old testament had to offer.  They were all beautifully designed and integrated.

“I suppose you think you’re clever, Ben,” Hux said, tapping on the screen to get out of the profile view.  As he tapped the screen a little too violently, Millicent startled and knocked his glass of wine.  Hux jolted to grab the glass before it could spill.

Once he got back to his phone, he lit the screen again.  He swiped to get into it, but it didn’t immediately open.  He swiped to the right again out of frustration, but as he swiped it the third time the screen came up and his eyes widened as he swiped yes to Ben “Kylo” Solo.

“No. Please tell me it’s not a—”

The little indicator that they were a match popped up on the screen.  “What have you done, Millie?” Hux asked, looking through the man’s profile again.  It was truly horrid.  He had a tattoo of lips over his left nipple which was clearly visible in two of his pictures.

His cat looked completely unrepentant for being the cause of this tragedy, and Hux was left wondering if he could somehow undo the swipe.  If only he understood the app.

Then another indicator lit up.  He had a message...from Ben.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Hux mutter to himself as he opened the message.

— _hi, I just got the notification that we were a match. You’re hot.—_

“Casanova you are not,” Hux said aloud as he contemplated how he would turn this man down.

—I’m sorry, I swiped the wrong way when my cat accidentally knocked over my wine…— Hux started to type, but he erased it.

“I’m going to need another drink, and Phasma’s help,” he said, grabbing the bottle of wine and taking a gulp right from it.  He went through his contacts and called Phasma.  It went to voicemail.  “Dammit, Colleen.  Now is not the time to have phonesex with your wife,” he complained.  He tapped back to the chat with Ben.  “I can do this.  Just turn him down gently.”

—You are covered in ink— Hux sent that instead of any of the truly awful letdowns he came up with.

It didn’t take long for this Ben fellow to send another message.

— _You like my ink?  I designed them all, did a couple myself too.  You have any tattoos?—_

“I guess I can’t tell him that I think they are silly, can I?” Hux asked Millicent, stroking her fur.

—They are impressive.  No, I do not.— Hux went for succinct.

— _Do you want any?—_

—Never considered it—

— _I’d do one for your free.  You’d look great with ink.  It would really pop on your skin—_

“Oh how kind of him, Millie.  He wants to permanently brand me.  What a charmer.”

—I don’t think I’m ready for such a commitment.— Hux returned instead.

Once again, Ben didn’t take long at all to send his next message.

— _Not up for long term commitment, I can respect that.  I’m committed to my work, but nothing’s ever come close to that.  Your profile looked like you’re big on your job too.  You love it?—_

Hux frowned.  He went back and reread his caption.  It wasn’t all that descriptive.  

—Yes.  I am very dedicated to my work.—

Hux realized they were having a real back and forth after Ben sent him several more thoughtful messages.  Hux didn’t feel prepared to have an actual adult conversation over a dating app.  

— _Would you be down to meet up maybe after work one night?  I saw you’re only a couple towns away, and I’ve been wanting to try this place by you anyway—_

Hux wasn’t prepared for such a smooth proposition after nearly an hour of back and forth.  He was quite drunk, and he was pretty sure that he’d typed out a manifesto on how to improve education standards to Ben.  

—What place and when?— He responded.  He didn’t realize that it sounded like an acceptance of the invitation.  He really wanted to know where and when this theoretical date would happen because he didn’t want to go somewhere awful or have to neglect his responsibilities.

— _Awesome.  It’s an American place.  Beer and burgers kind of thing.  How about Friday night?—_

“Ugh, he would pick the place everyone goes after work on Fridays,” Hux sighed.

—The bistro down the street from there and it’s a deal.  All of my coworkers go to your place, and I don’t want them breathing down our necks—

— _Deal.—_

“What have I done?” Hux asked, closing out of the app and putting his phone down.  “He’s a walking billboard for daddy issues.  Honestly, this is why Phasma can’t be trusted.  I know she sneaks you treats, but we need to cut her out of our life.  It’s for the best,” Hux told Millicent as he lifted her up to carry her to bed.

* * *

“Did you call me last night?” Phasma asked, popping her head into Hux’s classroom the next day.

“Yes, don’t worry about it,” Hux replied, working out the calculations on the homework he’d assigned the night before. He never trusted the book to give the correct answer or to explain it well enough for all of his students to understand.  If he was cultivating the next generations of astrophysicists and engineers then he needed every one of them to have a solid foundation to build on, and the book just couldn’t be trusted to do that.

“You okay?” Phasma asked, stepping inside anyway.

“I’m fine.”

“You didn’t make coffee this morning…”

“I was up early and made it at home,” Hux said, leaving out the part where he didn’t sleep at all because he kept wondering how he was going to get out of this date with Ben.  He’d gotten up around three in the morning and googled the man.  He really was a tattoo artist—Hux wasn’t sure if that was a positive or negative—and his designs were actually quite good when they weren’t religious imagery...or lips in inappropriate places.  He also had a criminal record—Hux was quite certain that was a negative.  He’d evidently dropped out of seminary after starting a brawl with the other pupils.  

“How’s the _manhunt_ going?” Phasma asked innocently.

Hux glared at her. “Disastrously.”

“It can’t be that bad.  You say yes or no and if you aren’t a match they can’t contact you,” she said, leaning against his desk.

“Millicent spilled my wine, and then there was some catastrophic glitch as I opened my phone with a swipe, and suddenly he was a yes and contacting me.  He’s a criminal, and he’s covered in tattoos, and I didn’t know how to turn him down without admitting I was not well versed in the app,” Hux explained.

Phasma, to her credit, was doing a good job of not laughing in his face, but he could see the little crow’s feet around her eyes. “Maybe it’s fate, Hux.  Maybe you were meant to match with this guy, inked up criminal that he is.”

“I do not find this remotely funny, Colleen. He wants to meet tomorrow for drinks,” Hux said.  

“Why not just invite him to your place, use his stud service, and be done with it?” she asked, tapping her nails on the stack of graded tests Hux planned to hand back to his next class.

“I can’t invite him to my house,” Hux said, completely against the idea.

“Why?”

“We need to meet somewhere public.”

“Again, why?  It’s a booty call,” Phasma said, completely missing the point.  Phasma was happily married to a woman she met while she served in the military.  They’d met on based when her wife’s company sent her to do a demonstration.  Phasma had never had to meet a stranger from the internet.

“He could be a serial killer!”

This time she did laugh like he was being completely ridiculous.  Hux wondered if she’d listened at all to those videos on internet safety that she forced the kids to watch in health class.

“Why would a serial killer pick you up on Tinder?” she asked between bouts of laughter.

Hux narrowed his eyes at her.  “Where better than on a trashy dating app?”

Phasma sighed dramatically at him, and Hux did not appreciate it one bit.  “Hux, no serial killer is going to choose you.  You always have that look in pictures,” she said, motioning to him with her hand as though he should understand exactly what “look” she was talking about.

“What look?”  He didn’t have a clue.

“Really?  It’s not on purpose?  The one that says I’ll tear your throat out with my teeth if I need to...and not in a sexy way,” she said, taking out her phone and opening a picture of him and holding it up.  “Hux, you’re scary.”

“I am not.  I just don’t like having my picture taken when I’m not prepared…”

“Hux, look at your ID.  It’s worse when you’re ready for it,” she said.

Hux frowned down at his ID badge.  He didn’t think it looked so bad.  He looked distinguished.  That was a perfect double windsor, and he was happy that it was preserved forever in his badge.  No one would mistake Hux for a slob.

“Oh god, you’re contemplating the knot again, aren’t you?  There’s no hope.  Get drinks with this guy, and if it’s not going well get more drinks.  You need something because waxing poetic about the knot in your tie is not healthy.  You need something else in your life.  If it isn’t sex then figure something else out. Maybe take up yoga or golfing, but until you do, don’t sabotage this date,” Phasma told him.  “Oh and please do not wear a tie on the date.  I know you own semi casual clothes.  Trust me, if things go well, you don’t want to have to deal with taking your tie off in the heat of the moment, been there, and it did not end well.  Also if he _is_ a serial killer, he could strangle you with it.” Phasma retreated out of the room before Hux could say anything further.  Damn her.

Hux put his head in his hands.  It wouldn’t be that bad.  He’d dated before.  Phasma had even set him up on dates before.  He could do this.  He was missing sex and intimacy and having someone to talk to other than Millicent.

“God, I’m pathetic,” Hux sighed.

“That’s not the right attitude to have, Mr. Hux,” Finn said, stepping into the classroom carrying parts of his science fair project.

“Pretend you didn’t hear that, Finn,” Hux told him.

“I think you’re pretty awesome, Mr. Hux.  I definitely wouldn’t have had the chance to create my own robots if not for you,” Finn added, completely ignoring Hux’s request.

“Yes, I’m glad you enjoy engineering, Finn,” Hux told him.

The young man smiled at him, and Hux couldn’t even bring himself to disciplining him for entering without knocking.  He was going soft.  Soft and pathetic.  It wasn’t a good combination.

* * *

Hux stepped into the bar well before his scheduled date.  He’d stayed late at school, trying to get his weekend grading done before his meetup.  He hadn’t wanted it hanging over his head while he attempted to do something for himself for once.  The only problem was, he’d been terribly distracted by the whole date that he’d given up on grading and decided having a couple drinks prior to said date might ease his nerves.

The little self proclaimed bistro was really just a upscale watering hole.  The drinks were more expensive and the bar food came in smaller portions, but at its core it was just another bar.  

Hux found one of the small tables in the corner of the bar area, and he took a seat.  Within minutes the waitress was coming over with a glass of his preferred wine.  Hux told himself it wasn’t that he came here too often but that he was very particular about his wines...it was probably actually a combination of both that the wait staff knew his order without question.

“Should I expect Colleen?” the waitress asked, sounding more than a little excited to see his usual partner in crime.

“Afraid not,” Hux said.

“Oh, well then I’ll take this setting out of your way,” she said, reaching for the napkin wrapped utensils across from him.

“No, I...am expecting someone else,” he corrected her, pausing in the middle awkwardly.

“Oh!  I’m sorry.  Will they be here shortly, or should I wait to bring over the menu?”

“You can bring it and leave it.  I’m not certain of their ETA,” Hux said, suddenly wishing he’d chosen another place for drinks.  He did enjoy the food here though.  They had a veggie appetizer that was drizzled in balsamic and delectable.  They also had a sophisticated mac ‘n’ cheese appetizer, or at least Hux told himself it was sophisticated as he usually devoured it without any help from Phasma.

“Of course.  Enjoy,” she said, stepping away from his table.

Technically, he had over an hour before Ben was due to arrive.  He sipped his wine, and against his better judgment began going through the app again.  This date was likely to crash and burn, and even if they had spectacular sex afterward Hux didn’t plan to contact Ben ever again.  He had a reputation to uphold, and he couldn’t be seen with a tattooed degenerate.  So, being proactive and finding another candidate seemed like a good idea.

Hux didn’t have any better luck today as he swiped through person after person.  There were a few women who seemed like suitable candidates, but none of them ever turned out to be a match.  It was probably due to “the look” Phasma had been talking about.  Hux considered taking a picture of himself right there at his table, but he absolutely loathed selfies—his students’ word not his own—and he always looked pained in them.

Sophie, his waitress, continued to refill his glass each time he drained it.  By the third time, she was starting to look a little sad as she came by to check on him.  “Is everything alright, Mr. Hux?” she asked quietly.

“Perfectly fine.  Why would anything be wrong?” he retorted.

“You’ve been sitting here over an hour, and your companion hasn’t arrived,” she said.

Hux frowned.  Had it been that long?  He glanced at his watch. So it had.  Ben had been due to arrive fifteen minutes ago.  Was he being stood up by a man who couldn’t even manage to put on a real shirt?  

“He’s just running late.  I’ll have an order of the veggie tower though,” Hux told her.  How dare the man make him wait.  Didn’t he know that Hux had important things he could—no, _should_ —be doing?

Just as he was working himself up into a real mood, the door to the bar opened a tall man with thick dark hair walked in.  He wore a beat up leather jacket with several patches on it, and he had on a pair of jeans that might as well have been painted onto his body.  Though the jeans had so many fraying holes in them, Hux wondered what the point of wearing pants at all was with so much skin on display.  Then there were the boots that looked big enough to squash Hux’s poor waitress beneath them if the man so felt like it.

The man looked up, and Hux’s breath caught as he realized it was Ben.  Not only was his date a criminal tattoo artist, but he looked like he belonged to some outlaw biker gang.

“Why did I let her talk me into this?” Hux whispered to himself as the man’s eyes landed on Hux.

Ben stalked right over to the table without so much as a glance at anyone else.  Hux wasn’t intimidated by the man’s unwavering stare, but he was a little upset by the fact that the whole restaurant was going to see them together.  What if word got out?

“Armitage?” Ben asked, stopping beside the table.

Hux cleared his throat.  “That would be me, but I prefer Hux,” he said in a voice much steadier than he was feeling after three glasses of wine and realizing that it probably looked like he was meeting a hitman for drinks not six blocks from his place of work.

“Sorry I’m late.  I had this guy on the table that wanted this massive piece but wouldn’t stop sobbing the entire time I was outlining it.  You’d think I was torturing him.  It’s not like he didn’t ask for it,” Ben said, taking the seat that Hux hadn’t offered him.

Hux cleared his throat again.  Of course, now everyone had no doubt heard that Ben had been torturing someone.  This couldn’t get any worse.

“It’s quite alright.  I was just having a glass of wine,” Hux said, trying to be polite.

“You look good. I had meant to change, but when I realized the time I thought it was better not to keep you waiting,” Ben apologized, folding his massive arms over the relatively small tabletop.  Hux had spent far too much time that morning finding a casual but still work appropriate outfit.  He'd gone for black jeans only because it was casual Friday, and he'd put a button up and vest over it.  Even his students had complimented him.

“You look like a degenerate.”  It slipped out.  Hux couldn’t help himself.  The man looked positively ridiculous.

“You look like a high school physics teacher,” Ben retorted, not sounding offended at all by the slip of the tongue.

“I _am_ a high school physics teacher,” Hux replied, wondering if Ben was making fun of him.  He hadn’t even worn a tie, just as Phasma had told him.  He was seriously considering how sound her advice had been because this man looked like he might just strangle Hux with his own tie if the situation called for it.

“Nice to meet you high school physics teacher, I’m a degenerate,” Ben said, smiling like he’d just made a hilarious joke.  The mystique of the hardened criminal was shattered.  It was one of those pitiful jokes that his students would laugh at him for if he ever said it then tell him he was old.

Hux was appalled.

“That wasn’t funny,” Hux said.

“No? Your lips are twitching like it was, but you’re too sophisticated to let yourself laugh at it,” Ben pointed out.  Ben was wrong.  Hux wanted to tell him laugh only because he was afraid he might cry about what his life had become.

Hux frowned.  “Is there something you want to drink?  The poor waitress has been anxiously waiting to do her job,” Hux said, waving over Sophie.

“Hello, what can I get for you?” the perky waitress asked as soon as she arrived.

“Just Sambuca, one cube,” Ben said, giving her a pleasant enough smile.  Hux wasn't even surprised by the choice.  This would be the sort of man that enjoyed eating a licorice stick with fine cuisine.  Hux found it repulsive.

“I’ll get that right away,” she said, giving Ben a very interested look if Hux had ever seen one.  

“Thank you,” Ben said.

“I believe punctuality is a very important characteristic of a good partner,” Hux blurted out as soon as Sophie walked away.

Ben looked away from where his eyes followed their waitress.  “How long were you waiting?” he asked, checking his watch like it was possibly much later than he’d thought.  “I mean, it’s rush hour, and I was only fifteen minutes late.  It could’ve been much worse if there had been an accident on the freeway,” Ben said.

Hux frowned.  Once again, Ben was right.  He’d been coming from a distance during the Friday evening rush.  Hux was lucky that Ben arrived at all with the way people drove in the winter.  “I arrived early, I suppose,” Hux said, trying not to let on that it had been over an hour early.

Of course, Sophie returned at that point.  “Here you are, Sambuca.  Can I get you another glass, Mr. Hux, or is one bottle enough?”

Ben raised one pierced eyebrow.  It was crude how much emotion the man could convey with such a small movement.

“Water is fine, thank you, Sophie,” Hux ground out.  

“So just how long did it take you to put away a bottle of…” Ben paused, lifting Hux’s almost empty wine glass and bringing it to his nose for a sniff.  “...an expensive Cab?”

“Long enough.”  This was clearly off to a horrific start.  They were already sniping at each other, and it had barely been five minutes.  “Do you often question your date’s alcohol intake within moments of meeting them?”

“I haven’t gone on too many other blind first dates, so this is all new to me.  But I can’t say I’d drink a bottle of wine before meeting a complete stranger,” Ben retorted.  He put Hux’s glass back down and sliding it back toward Hux.  

“You don’t know me,” Hux told him.

“That’s exactly what I just said,” Ben retorted.

Hux huffed.  “Fine, do you prefer Ben or Kylo?  Your profile was a bit ambiguous on your preference,” Hux asked, hoping to get the attention off of him.

“Either is fine.  I preferred Kylo when I left the Seminary, to put distance between me and who I used to be, but I’m pretty okay with who I am right now,” Ben said.

“And who would that be?” Hux asked, completely at a loss as to how to describe the man in front of him other than a grave mistake.

Before Ben could answer, Sophie returned with Hux’s vegetable platter.  She smiled at them and retreated again.

“That isn’t going to undo the bottle of wine,” Ben pointed out, either avoiding the question or forgetting it entirely.

“Just as the wine hasn’t undone this mistake of a date, but that’s just how it goes,” Hux said, tongue loosened by the alcohol.

“Why’d you agree to it then?” Ben asked him, picking at Hux’s tomatoes without asking.

“Because all of my colleagues seem to believe I need to get laid,” Hux complained.  “I have dedicated my life to my students, but evidently being the best educator possible isn’t enough.  I also need to be having regular sex or my students will label my personal life as the Great Drought, like it’s some historic disaster,” Hux said, gripping the edge of the table.

Ben actually smiled at this.  “The Great Drought?  Just how long has it been?” he asked.  This time, Hux couldn’t ignore the ring hanging down from Ben’s nose or the two piercings through Ben’s lower lip.  Snake bites, he recalled his students having a fondness for them about a decade ago.  Clearly, Ben had not outgrown the fad or was making up for missed opportunities.

Hux sighed.  He might as well know since Hux was already wallowing in humiliation just by being forced on this date.  “Three years...and I may not have noticed she left me for several weeks because I’d been spending so much time at work.”

“So, you agreed to go out with me because it’s been three years of no sex?” Ben asked.

“Something like that.”

“Well, I guess I can’t begrudge you the entire bottle,” Ben told him, taking a large sip of his own generous drink.  He took the ice cube into his mouth for a moment before slipping it back into his glass.  Hux was pretty sure that he saw a glimpse of silver in Ben’s mouth as he spit the cube out.

“I’m not looking for your pity,” Hux snapped.

“Just my dick,” Ben retorted.

Hux narrowed his eyes.  “This was clearly a mistake.  I’m sorry to have wasted your time.  I’ll just be…”

“Stop, sit.  You can’t drive right now, and I need something to eat because I haven’t had anything since this morning.”

“I can walk home from here…” Hux could’ve kicked himself for admitting that.  What if Ben tried to follow him home and murder him?

“Still, as soon as you stand up, that bottle’s going to hit you.  Maybe I’m not your ideal date, but we’re here, and I’m not completely against ending the Great Drought for you,” Ben said, making a show of looking Hux up and down.

“I think I’d rather it continued,” Hux told him, but he stayed where he was.

“So, you teach physics, anything else?” Ben asked, ignoring Hux’s insult.  He seemed quite adept at ignoring Hux's sharpest barbs, and it was immensely frustrating.  Couldn't the man see that they were complete opposites.  His brain tried to tell him that opposites attracted, and Hux almost cursed at his traitorous mind.

“I teach two robotics classes as well," he replied levelly.

“That’s interesting.  I used to like tinkering with my dad’s old car parts. Thought I could make a junkyard robot or something.  Usually just made a mess though,” Ben said, sounding remarkably nostalgic.  His way of speaking was different than anything Hux had ever encountered.  He'd pause at odd places as though checking with himself as to whether he was actually allowed to say it.  But his voice was deep and rich, and it made something in Hux twist with interest.

“I’d always been interested in engineering.  I won multiple competitions growing up.  I wanted to get my Ph.D. but I chose teaching instead after I got my Master’s.  I believe an army of well prepared youths can achieve much more than I would be able to all on my own,” Hux told him.

“That’s quite noble.”

“I doubt it.  I believe I am molding their minds, that I’m am a direct influence on their future.  My colleague tells me I sound like a madman,” Hux retorted.

“Well, I would’ve appreciated having at least one teacher that gave a damn,” Ben told him.  Once again, there was an odd cadence to his words like thinking back to that time was still physically painful.

“I doubt you didn’t have a single teacher who cared. Contrary to public opinion, most educators aren’t bottom feeding plagues on society,” Hux said, using his fork to cut the piece of eggplant on the platter.

“I wasn’t exactly easy to deal with.  I think by the time I hit junior year, my teachers just read my file and gave up.”

“That is their mistake then,” Hux said.  

"I suppose.  I'm not exactly proving them wrong now as a tattoo artist," Ben added self deprecatingly.

"The work I saw in your profile was quite incredible.  People would kill for that kind of school," Hux said, finding himself defending the man for a reason he couldn't quite grasp.  Hadn't he judged the man for what he did already?  Hadn't he seen the tattoos and written him off?  

"Your profile said you have a robot," Ben said, quite clearly changing the subject.

Hux went with it, explaining how BB-8 came to be and how he'd come to have custody of the little bot. Just as the night before, Hux was surprised to realize how easily they fell into conversation once he got over his reservations.  Ben seemed to draw him in.  Hux took offense to half the things that came out of Ben’s mouth, but Ben didn’t seem to care just how often Hux insulted him.  He always had a comeback, and they were often quite biting.

“Want a ride back to your place?” Ben asked after they’d actually eaten a real meal and not just a plate of veggies.  Hux had had another wine, and Ben had put away enough Sambuca that Hux didn’t feel out gunned anymore.  He did feel a little nauseated just at the thought of how much of that awful drink Ben had put away.

“Like I said, I can walk,” Hux told him politely, not exactly wanting to show Ben his house.  The date had gone better than expected, though wildly awkward in parts, like when Ben asked if he’d had any STDs.  Evidently, Ben had had three in the past, one of which he’d contracted from his mentor in the Seminary. He was clean now though.  He even had the paperwork in his wallet.  Hux was appalled.

“But if you walk, we can’t have sex in my car,” Ben said, cracking his knuckles which just drew attention to the multiple tattoos he had on his hands.

Hux froze.  Did Ben really want to have sex with him after the dozen misunderstandings they’d had in the last two hours?  Did Hux?

“I…”

“We don’t have to, but I wouldn’t mind,” Ben told him.

Hux opened and closed his mouth a couple times, then nodded.  Ben smiled at him and stood up.  The bill was handled, and Ben had actually insisted on paying even for Hux’s entire bottle of wine.  Hux followed Ben out, and he wasn’t exactly surprised by the massive Bronco that Ben led him to.

Hux slid into the passenger side and waited for Ben to get in.  “There’s a park that overlooks the town...where the students go to...you understand what I mean,” Hux said.

“To bone?” Ben asked.

“No.”

“Screw?”

“Really, Ben…”

“Fuck?”

“You are crass,” Hux sighed.

“Just give me the directions, Professor Prude,” Ben said.  

Hux wasn't sure they'd make it to their destination before Hux strangled Ben.

 


	3. Like Drinking from a Fire Hydrant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired by the kylux hard kinks prompt: Hux didn't expect Kylo to come so much during the blowjob and ends up coughing and jizz comes out his nose. Kylo finds it hilarious. 
> 
> More warnings at end of chapter

Hux guided Ben through the quiet town up the quiet road that his more adventurous students talked about.  As they arrived at one of the lookouts, Hux realized how easy it would be for Ben to murder him up here alone.

Ben killed the rumbling engine and turned to him.  “You aren’t planning to kill me up here, right?” he asked, and Hux actually laughed.  

Pushing all of those reservations he had out of him mind, if only for the moment, Hux leaned over the bench seat and pressed his lips to Ben’s.  Ben didn’t push him away, so that was a small victory.

They were tentative at first, pressing but not really moving at all.  Finally, Ben groaned, and pulled Hux closer to him.  “I won’t lie.  I definitely got off last night thinking about you disciplining me in detention,” Ben said, pressing his tongue between Hux’s lips as he opened his mouth in surprise.

Hux was easily distracted though as Ben teased him with his tongue and lips.  The sensation of the smooth metal of Ben’s lip piercings and the bulb of the tongue piercing the teased Hux’s lips was new and strange. Ben seemed to know just how to tease with that tongue piercing, and Hux couldn’t help the shiver that went through him at the thought of that piercing teasing him elsewhere.

As if reading his mind, Ben shifted. “Come on,” he whispered, pushing Hux off of him and rolling over the seat into the back of the SUV.  Hux looked over the seat to find Ben had a mattress back there instead of seats.

“Why don’t you have seats?” Hux asked, immediately wondering if Ben lived in he car.  It was a logical thought in Hux’s mind, but there didn’t seem to be much in the way of clothing or anything else.

“I like to go camping, but I like it better in here than in a tent.  Less likely to be eaten by a bear if I have an engine and wheels beneath me,” Ben said.

“Has that been a problem for you?”

“Yeah.  My ex left food out one night, and we were nearly trampled by a hungry bear looking for our leftovers,” Ben said, running his hand through his hair and looking over at Hux.  He seemed so earnest about it that Hux laughed.

“Touché,” he said, climbing into the back as well.  Ben wrapped his arms around Hux immediately and began to kiss him again.  Hux pushed him backward until he was laid out on the mattress.  “Lose the jacket...and the pants,” Hux ordered, reaching for the belt around Ben’s waist and quickly unbuckling it.

Ben didn’t resist Hux as Hux made quick work of his pants, shoving them down around Ben’s ankles.  For his part, Ben removed the heavy jacket to reveal a black henley that stretched around his muscles.

Hux groaned, looking down at Ben.  He could forget what a mistake this was when he was just looking at Ben’s body.  He reached forward and tugged down Ben’s underwear, jaw actually dropping when he got a look at him.  Ben was large and thick, but that wasn’t what had Hux’s eyes going wide.  

Ben was pierced.  He had a thick ring going through the head of his cock, but it didn’t end there.  He also had several bars through the underside of his shaft.  Hux had read about how piercings could enhance intercourse, but he’d never seen anything like this before.

“You look like you’ve just seen a ghost,” Ben said, folding his hands behind his head.  Was it Hux’s imagination or did he sound smug?

“There is quite a bit of metal,” Hux said, running his hand over Ben’s thigh.

“Yeah, they make sex amazing.  Did the one through the head myself,” Ben told him.  He reached one hand down and teased the ring through his cock with his finger.  His hips bucked slightly and he gave Hux a slow smirk.

“You can’t be serious,” Hux said, unable to imagining mutilating his own cock and being proud of it.

“I did.  Didn’t even numb the thing.  One of my coworkers bet I wouldn’t do it.  He owed me six hundred dollars when he came around.  Fainted on the spot when I put the needle through,” Ben told him.

“I don’t blame him,” Hux said, bringing his fingers to Ben’s cock and running them lightly over the ridges created by the metal just beneath the skin.  Ben shuddered at the contact, and it retrained Hux’s focus. “All of you is rather large,” Hux said, wrapping his fingers around Ben’s cock.  It was made more difficult with the piercings, but Hux managed.

Ben snorted.  “You know, if we’re ending droughts right now, I haven’t gotten blown since I left the Seminary,” Ben told him.  There was a note of hope in his voice, but it was well covered in bravado.

Hux’s eyes must have bulged at that because Ben laughed loudly.  His cock bobbed back and forth as his whole body shook with laughter.  

“Trust me, the vow of chastity was overlooked regularly.  Oral isn’t sex anyway,” Ben said, sounding smug, like he’d been getting more sex as a wannabe priest than Hux was as an available bachelor.  He probably wasn’t wrong either.

“This is what’s wrong with education today,” Hux said, wrapping his hands around Ben’s hips and holding him in place.  He lowered himself and licked the thick head of Ben’s cock.  Hux squeezed his eyes closed for a moment.  

He could taste the salty tang of sweat combine with the metal of the piercings, but it wasn’t the worst thing he’d ever tasted.  It was potent, but not unbearable.  He was encouraged by the subtle groan Ben made as Hux continued to lick at the head gently.  He had to get used to the piercing through the head, but it was surprisingly enjoyable to tease and move with his tongue.  

Feeling bold, Hux took the whole head in his mouth, and he was not disappointed when Ben gasped loudly.  Ben reached down and buried his fingers in Hux’s hair, encouraging him to take more into his mouth.  Hux stopped when his bottom lip touched the first piercing on the shaft.

“How long has it been since you were in the Seminary?” Hux asked, stroking Ben’s cock as he went back to teasing the head.

“Shit, a few years,” Ben replied, bucking his hips.  His breathing was loud in the confines of the car.

“Perhaps God has been punishing you for leaving his flock,” Hux teased him.

“God was happy to be rid of me.  Please, take more,” Ben begged, pressing Hux’s face to his crotch.  

Hux got a mouthful of pubic hair because he was attempting to retort as Ben reeled him in.  He nearly gagged at the sweaty scent that clung to Ben, likely from hours of work in a too warm studio.  Hux pushed himself back and tried not to grimace as he pulled one of Ben’s pubes out of his mouth.  It was revolting.

“If you’d hold still, perhaps I’d be able to accommodate you,” Hux told him, still attempting to get used to stroking a cock with so much hardware attached to it.  How was he supposed to stroke Ben firmly when every time he moved his hand the little balls on the piercings caught against him?  He wasn’t sure that could really be pleasurable.

Ben narrowed his eyes, suddenly holding his body completely still as though meeting Hux’s bluff.  Hux reminded himself that this wasn’t an equation. He just needed to go with it.  Humans had been sucking for as long as they had existed.  He could handle this one.  He had tens of thousands of years of evolution on his side.

Hux licked his lips to give them a little moisture and took the head of Ben’s cock in his mouth again.  It still didn’t taste like heaven, but Hux couldn’t remember a time oral had tasted particularly good.  Though there had been a time that involved champagne after a particularly successful science fair.

Taking more of Ben’s cock, Hux quickly realized that the combination of size and metal was the reason no one wanted to take this monster on.  He got a little ways down, and he felt like his mouth was full. The ring through the head nearly gagged him, and the balls on the bars clacked against his bottom row of teeth.  Undeterred, Hux used his hand to make up for the difference.

Ben moaned loudly, holding his hips still but gripping Hux’s hair for dear life.  “Your mouth is fantastic,” Ben said, nearly whimpering as Hux sucked languidly on the leaking head.

Hux felt no small amount of pride at having this man at his mercy.  The power he felt was making his own cock twitch in the confines of his jeans.  

Bobbing his head, Hux developed a rhythm and tried to take just a little more of Ben each time, even though the piercings made it difficult.  When Ben arched off the mattress, Hux moaned around his cock.  He hadn’t felt this in control in ages, and the bulge in his pants ached because of it.

“Shit, I’m close,” Ben warned.  

Hux was too high on the power he was feeling to care.  He wanted Ben to come.  He wanted to taste the fruit of his victory.  He could feel his own cock leaking just at the thought of watching Ben come from his attentions.

“Seriously, I’m gonna come,” Ben said, arching up.  His body began to shake even as Hux began to suck harder, hollowing out his cheeks and just begging Ben to come down his throat.  He used his tongue to tease the ring at the end of Ben’s cock, and he felt the whole thing twitch in his mouth.

“Fuck,” Ben practically shouted in the confines of the vehicle as he spilled into Hux’s waiting mouth.  

Hux felt the victory with each shake of Ben’s body...and then the acidic taste of Ben’s release hit him and _didn’t stop_.  Hux wasn’t prepared to be inundated with vile tasting come that never seemed to end.

Hux choked, but that didn’t stop Ben’s cock.

“Shit, are you—”

Come shot out of Hux’s nose with nowhere else to go.  Hux’s eyes watered as it burned his nostrils and leaked over his lip and back onto Ben’s cock.

Ben’s body continued to shake, but now those movements were suspiciously like laughter.  He snorted as another glob of come leaked out of Hux’s right nostril as Ben’s cock gave one final burst.

Hux pulled back, thick ejaculate leaking from his nose and mouth as he tried to catch his breath.  He didn’t feel powerful or turned on as he coughed up what seemed like a gallon of come onto himself and Ben.

“I tried to warn you,” Ben told him.  He didn’t look as though he felt guilty at all, even though Hux had come dripping like a mass of snot from his aching nostril.

Hux glared at him, removing the handkerchief from his back pocket and attempting to wipe away the vile liquid now covering his face.  He tried to speak, but all he succeeded in doing was blowing a bubble of the come that clung to his tongue.

“That’s disgusting,” Ben told him.

Hux could have punched him.

“Saying, I am going to come is not the same as warning someone that you produce an ungodly, and frankly impossible to handle, amount of ejaculate,” Hux said, wiping at his mouth for a third time to remove congealing come. No wonder no one wanted to suck the man’s cock, even if you got past the armor it wore, it could still kill you with its venom.  

“Well, I wasn’t expecting you to swallow on a first date,” Ben retorted.  He waved his hands a little like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.

“Are you calling me a slut?” Hux demanded.  He had just been assaulted by this man’s release, and now he was being insulted.  Hux wanted to commit murder, but he didn’t have gloves to wear.

“No, but you have no idea what my dick does.  For all you knew, it could’ve produced molten lava, and you went right on planning to swallow it,” Ben told him.  He motioned to Hux’s chin, and Hux glared at him as he wiped away what still clung there.

“It is humanly impossible to produce molten lava from one’s penis,” Hux told him sharply.  It was not his fault that Ben could drown an elephant in the amount of come he released.  Hux was lucky to be alive after that, and Ben had the audacity to be smug about it.

“My point still stands.  And if you had any sense at all, you would’ve just opened your throat and let it go straight down,” Ben told him.

“I have a very sensitive gag reflex,” Hux defended himself.  Ben was lucky his stupid cock piercing hadn’t hit the back of his throat, or he wouldn’t be laughing while covered in the dinner they’d shared.

“Then why were you sucking my cock?” Ben asked, tugging his underwear back up defensively.

“Because you said you hadn’t had it sucked in ages.  Why are you complaining?  You seemed to be enjoying yourself,” Hux accused.

“Screw you.  I was considering returning the favor, but fuck you,” Ben said, yanking his pants from beneath Hux where Hux straddled Ben’s legs.

“What did I do?” Hux asked, getting off of Ben.  

Ben glared at him, but he must have seen something earnest in Hux because he paused.  “Why do you think I haven’t been blown in years?” Ben asked him.

“Well, the half a dozen piercings aren’t exactly welcoming…”

“Try again.”

“How should I know?” Hux asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Really?”

“I am a physicist, Ben, not a psychic,” Hux told him.

“I’m big.”

“Yes, you are.  I don’t see how that’s a surprise to anyone with functional eyes,” Hux replied, sitting back against the front seat.

“No, my dick.  It tends to scare people off, at least from oral.  My last boyfriend wouldn’t let it anywhere near his ass either though,” Ben said.  “And the jizz problem doesn’t help.”

“Oh.”  Hux tried to clear his throat, but everything still burned from the unfortunate choking/snorting/all-around-awful finale.  “I hadn’t realized that was a deal breaker for most people,” Hux admitted.

“Clearly,” Ben said, moving toward the front of the car again.  “Look, I’ll leave you at home or back at the bar, whichever is easier for you,” Ben told him.

Hux felt a bit like an ass.  Ben was clearly not happy, but then again Hux hadn’t had a grand old time either.  This wasn’t what he’d had in mind when he thought he was going to end the drought.  He’d imagined passionate sex, not actually being inundated with enough liquid that he yearned to go back to not remembering what come tasted like.

Before Hux could say anything, there was a loud tapping on the driver side window.  Hux cursed, seeing the flashlight and knowing it had to be a police officer.

“Fuck,” Ben cursed as Hux vaulted into the front seat.

“Let me do the talking,” Hux insisted.

“Because you’ve been so good with choosing your words up to now,” Ben retorted.

“Just shut up and open the window,” Hux hissed.

Ben didn’t say anything else, and he did roll the window down.

“Good evening,” the officer said, shining his light on Ben’s face and rumpled clothes.  “What are you doing out here?” the man asked.

Ben opened his mouth, but Hux leaned over him.  “Good evening, Sergeant Tarkin.  We’re just taking a break from watching the eclipse,” Hux told him quickly.  “It’s a little chilly to just be standing out there staring at the sky.”

“Mr. Hux, I didn’t realize that was you.  Dani was just telling me about her science fair project today.  She’s very excited,” the officer said, shifting his flashlight onto Hux.

“Yes, Dani’s project is quite impressive.  You should be very proud of her,” Hux replied, digging his nails into his palms as he sat as still as possible.

“Oh, we are.  What’s that you said you’re doin’ out here on a Friday night?” Sergeant Tarkin asked again.

“Watching the eclipse.  There are actually three events occurring tonight, Sergeant.  It is a full super moon, but there is also an eclipse occurring as we speak that is obstructing the edge of the moon, and come 45P is visible tonight.  It is quite the spectacular night for stargazing, and as Dani may have told you I’m a bit of an amateur astronomer,” Hux explained.

“You don’t say, Mr. Hux.  This is a nice spot for stargazing.  I come up here to look at the stars sometimes on lulls in the shift, you know.  Well, you gentlemen enjoy the sights.  I’ll make sure no teenagers feelin’ their oats out here bother you,” he told them.  

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Hux said, pinching Ben’s thigh as he looked like he was going to say something.  “You’re service to our community is appreciated, and I know I always feel safe even out here.”

The man smiled as tipped his hat to Hux before wandering back to his car.  Ben at least had the sense to close the window before letting out a bark of laughter.  

“What?” Hux asked when Ben showed no sign of stopping laughing.

“You’re such a nerd about science that he didn’t even question why you were out here.  You still have jizz smudged all over your shirt, and he just went with you having a boner for an eclipse…”

“There is nothing wrong with enjoying astronomy.  Humans have been fascinated by the stars for thousands of years.  It is hardly a strange hobby,” Hux insisted.

“Fine, show me this stupid comet then,” Ben told him.

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“It won’t be visible until around three or four in the morning,” Hux admitted.

Ben snorted.  “We’d probably strangle each other by then…”

“It is the most likely outcome, yes,” Hux told agreed.

“Well, what else is out there to look at?”

“Billions of stars, planets, comets, and asteroids,” Hux retorted.

“I mean to look at now.”

“Well, the moon is right there,” Hux pointed through the windshield.

“Come on.  Show me something,” Ben insisted, opening the door and going to sit on the hood of the bronco without his jacket.

Hux stared through the windshield as Ben just sat there looking up at the sky.  Grumbling to himself, he opened his door and walked around the front of the car.  “It’s cold out here,” he said.

“My dad used to take me on rides at night, usually when I was giving me mom such a hard time that she needed a break.  He liked looking up at the stars.  He’d stop his old classic by the side of deserted roads and lie back on the hood.  He never really taught me what he was talking about.  He’d just point up and say that’s the Corvette constellation or something,” Ben said.

“There is no such thing as the Corvette constellation,” Hux told him, taking as seat beside Ben.

“Yeah, well, Dad was full of shit about a lot of things, so that isn’t entirely surprising.

“Orion is a winter constellation here.  Surely, you’ve heard of Orion’s Belt,” Hux said, pointing up at the sky.  He pointed at the belt of stars, and Ben shifted to follow his pointing.

“Yes,” Ben agreed, though Hux didn’t know if he was being honest or just trying not to sound ignorant.  

“The belt is part of the larger Orion constellation.  And Orion is a good tipping off point for finding other constellations,” Hux explained.

Ben didn’t interrupt him, so Hux continued to go on with his most basic astronomy introduction.  Ben listened attentively, and he got as close to Hux as possible as Hux pointed out different constellations and explained their origins.

“As you can see, I am not the first person to be fascinated by the stars,” Hux said as he’d exhausted the basics and felt his body getting cold.

“You’re still a massive nerd, and your whole town knows it,” Ben told him, still gazing up at the clear sky.

“Yes, and I just got us both out of public indecency fines, so you should show me a little more respect,” Hux told him.

Ben snorted, but he leaned over and kissed Hux.  He nipped at Hux’s jaw, and nuzzled against his neck.  Hux gasped, staring up at the star speckled sky as Ben tasted his skin. If he hadn’t experienced the rest of the date, he would’ve believed this was the most romantic kiss he’d ever received.  He had experienced the rest of the date though, and it was hard to ignore.

Ben pulled back and looked at Hux.  “Your nose is redder than your hair.  Let me drive you home,” Ben he said, effectively destroying the moment before sliding off the hood of his car.

Hux was suddenly aware of how long they’d been sitting out there discussing the stars. He checked his watch, and it was getting quite late.

“My car is at the bar...but I’d rather not be seen in public like this, especially slipping from one vehicle to another,” Hux told him.  

“Like I said, I’ll take you home,” Ben said, climbing back into the driver’s seat.

“Thank you,” Hux said, joining him in the chilly vehicle.

The ride was too quiet.  Hux wasn’t sure what to say.  The blowjob had been horrible on his end, and honestly he hadn’t known what to say to Ben before it anyway. Their time stargazing had been oddly pleasant though. Other than Ben’s little barbs about Hux’s choice of hobbies, he’d been attentive and even interested in what Hux showed him. Hux was confused as to what his last few hours had actually been.

“This is me,” Hux said, pointing to the small ranch he’d lived in for nearly ten years now.  Millicent was going to be livid.  He’d made her wait at least two whole hours past her usual feeding time.  She would probably avoid him all night...which was the exact opposite of what he wanted.  He wanted to curl up with her and lament this whole confusing affair.

Ben pulled his massive car into the driveway and put it in park.  Hux was tempted to just bolt, but Ben turned to him before he could gather the initiative.  

“I’m sorry about your nose and well, you know,” Ben told him.

“It wasn’t your fault.  I shouldn’t have been so over zealous,” Hux admitted.

“I enjoyed dinner...and your astronomy lesson,” Ben told him.  Hux honestly couldn’t remember too much of dinner, other than Ben’s entrance and wanting to tell him exactly how wrong he was fairly frequently.

“Yes, the bistro is quite good,” Hux said, avoiding the topic of them.  He’d just chalk this up to a disaster and move on.  It wasn’t too late, maybe he could find another prospect before he finally went to sleep.

Hux was shocked when Ben leaned in and kissed him.  It wasn’t the tentative then hungry way he’d gone about it before their misguided foray into fellatio, but it was actually tender.  Before Hux could react, Ben killed the engine and got out of the car.

Ben came around and opened Hux’s door for him.  Hux’s mind panicked, hoping that none of his neighbor’s saw the strange man attempting to walk him to his door.  He hadn’t put the jacket back on, and his jeans were still unzipped.  Yet, he didn’t seem to mind the winter chill at all as he held the door opened for Hux.

Hux slid out, but he didn’t get far as Ben wrapped his arm around him and pulled him in for another kiss.  Hux didn’t know what to make of the sudden gallantry, so he ended up going along with it.

They walked up the short path together, and Ben kissed him one last time as Hux unlocked his door.  Ben didn’t try to get an invite.  In fact, he kissed Hux passionately and then took off back to his car before Hux could say anything.

Hux stood on his porch and watched as Ben started his car and peeled out of the driveway and down the road.

“What the hell?” he asked no one at all as he stood there.  Eventually, he went inside and fed Millicent before collapsing into bed.  He didn’t have it in him to look for another prospect.  He wasn’t sure he’d recover from this one anytime soon.

Millicent was clearly feeling benevolent because she forgave him quickly enough to curl up on his chest as he laid in bed, trying to figure out what on earth had happened over the last few hours.  He was only sure of a few things, one of them being that he was never attempting to swallow again because his nose and throat felt like they were still clogged.

\---

The next morning, Phasma arrived at his home uninvited with his favorite pastries in hand.

“How did it go?” she asked with a wide grin as she stepped into his house, also uninvited.

“Not worth the hype,” Hux sighed, following her into his own kitchen.  He shook his head as Millicent came out of where she’d been hiding to greet Phasma.

“So you did have sex with him?” she needled.

“Oral isn’t sex, according to Ben,” Hux told her, taking the bag of pastries from her before Millicent could be spoiled any more than she already was.

“He wasn’t good at sucking cock?” she asked, sounding truly disappointed for Hux.

“I wouldn’t know.  We didn’t get that far.”

“What happened?” she asked, sounding too curious for Hux’s good.

Hux sighed, sitting at the breakfast nook and placing his bag of pastries out in front of him.  “Colleen, it was like trying to use a fire hydrant as a water fountain,” he said before taking a bite out of his danish.  

Phasma snorted loudly, scaring Millicent off the counter and under the table.  “What does that even mean?” she asked, wiping tears out of her eyes.

“It means that I was not prepared for the sheer volume of ejaculate that was going to come out of him...it came out of my nose like a kid who laughed too hard while drinking milk.  Just _everywhere_ ,” he finished much more softly than he began.

“Come shot out your nose?” she asked, failing to hide her laughter.

“Like I said.  Fire hydrant as a water fountain.  There was nothing I could do,” Hux said.

“Only you,” she said, shaking her head.  “Why’d you try to swallow on the first date though?” she asked.

“Really?  Is that a rule or something?  He said the same thing while I was leaking _his_ come from multiple orifices,” Hux ranted, putting down his danish before it accidentally went flying.

“I mean, it just makes sense.  Who knows what could’ve come out of there,” she said, shrugging.

Hux groaned.  “It is a penis.  Only two things come out of them…”

“And trust me, you only want one of them in your mouth.  Better safe than sorry, Hux.  I don’t care if logic dictates anything.  Practical knowledge _and_ Murphy’s Law say if anything can go wrong, it will, especially when you haven’t been laid in an age,” Phasma said, plucking a donut out of the bag.

“I will keep that in mind for next time, but it will do me no good with Ben as I will never hear from him again,” Hux said.

“Practice makes perfect, so have you found your next match yet?” she asked.

“No.”

Phasma frowned.  “Ben didn’t count.  He’s right.  And Bad sex doesn’t count either.  Try again.”

Hux shook his head.  “May I finish my danish in pace without having to think about going through another mess like that?  I can hardly breath out of my nose as it is,” he asked, holding up his half-finished pastry.

“I suppose,” Phasma told him, rolling her eyes dramatically.  What had he done to deserve this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter warnings: mentions of gagging on jizz, use of the word jizz, brief mention of implied vomiting, bad fellatio, semi public sex, use of the word slut, shooting come out one's nose, penis piercings (prince Albert+frenum ladder), unsafe sex (BJ)


	4. Traded My Collar for this Ink in My Skin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up on Saturday.
> 
> Chapter specific warnings at the bottom

Hux didn’t think he’d ever hear from Ben again, and while he didn’t like failure in his life, he wasn’t exactly upset.

So, it came as a shock when in the middle of his third period lesson, his phone began to go off with notifications.  Hux froze in the middle of his speech on the necessity of precision and constant recalculation when his phone let out an annoying alert. He’d thought he had the thing on vibrate, but clearly he was mistaken.

“I think someone’s sending you something, Mr. Hux,” one of his students told him.

Hux narrowed his eyes at them.  “Your only concern should be the proper calculation of momentum or your next projects are going to be a disaster,” Hux told them, diving right back into his speech.  He could get a little overcome as he gave his nearly famous speech on integrity and pride in one’s work, but that was undermined by another message coming through.

“Maybe you should answer that, Mr. Hux.  It could be important,” Finn said.

“No, your education is the most important thing.  Like I was sayi—” another message. “Dammit, give me a moment while you work on the examples on the board,” Hux said, storming over to his desk.  He quickly jabbed at his phone, opening the messages from Tinder and wondering how he could turn the alert off.

They were all from Ben.

— _Hey, so I know that our date didn’t really go as planned, but I was wondering if you’d be interested in trying again.  I owe you for that blowjob afterall—_

Hux was angry that Ben would send such a thing during school hours, but it only got worse from there. The next message read:

— _I didn’t even get to see your cock.  Been thinking about it all weekend, and I bet I could get the whole thing in my mouth.  I’ve had plenty of practice—_

Hux knew his face had to be red.  He felt like he might just burst a blood vessel.  He was both incredibly turned on by the offer and seriously considering murder.  

— _There’s this awesome place near my apartment.  My schedule is free tonight if you’re interested—_

Hux held back the growl that was threatening to escape his throat.  He hit the reply button and began to type out a sharply worded rejection, but one of his students called out before he could send it.

“Do you have a new boyfriend or girlfriend, Mr. Hux?” the girl asked.

“That is definitely none of your business,” he retorted.

“That means yes.  Just in time for Valentine’s day, Mr. H,” another student called out.

“My personal life is none of your business.  The only thing that should be concerning any of you is your equations, unless you prefer spending detention with me in order to finish them,” he announced.

“Totally has a date,” a kid said.

“You go, Mr. Hux.  Get it!”

Hux grumbled, deleting his message to Ben and typing another instead.

—You interrupted my class with your nonsense, and now my students are harassing me about whether I have a date. This is all your fault—

— _Well, do we have a date?—_ came Ben’s almost immediate reply.

—Yes, but only because you owe me exceptional fellatio.  It doesn’t count as ending the drought if you were the only one that received any sort of pleasure—

— _Don’t you titles get capitalized, Mr. Educator?—_

—The drought is not a damn age of history nor is it a title.  I will not capitalize my own misfortune!— He may have given into Ben’s drama, but it was a sore subject.

— _You mean to tell me you didn’t enjoy shooting my jizz out of your nose like a rocket?—_

—We are not having this conversation while I have a room full of seniors.  Send me the address and I’ll meet you there at seven—

“You’re blushing, Mr. Hux,” Finn said as Hux put down his phone.

“And you will be spending detention with me after school today,” Hux told him, looking around the room.  “Does anyone else care to join him?”

Everyone else went back to work, though Hux could hear them whispering to each other about his mystery date.  No doubt, Phasma would know before long and come snooping.  

Hux cursed that he wasn’t wrong, when she showed up during his prep period.

“How can you just walk out of class whenever you want to come bug me?” he asked as she stepped into the room.

“Because there are three of us down there, and if I say that it’s time of the month, they don’t care if I’m gone the rest of the day.  Not a fuckin’ clue how periods work, Hux.  I use it at least twice a week, and they haven’t caught on yet.  Frankly, they deserve this.  You know they teach sex ed. I’m doing this for the children,” she told him.  “Not to mention, my class is the only one that follows directions.  They can run the drills without me there.”

Hux sighed.  “Why are you here?”

“My point guard tells me that you have a date.”

“Your point guard needs to mind her own business along with the rest of her classmates,” Hux told her.

“Man or woman?”

“Ben.”

“ _Really_?  Even after that fire hydrant incident?” she asked, sounding far more intrigued by Hux’s life than he currently was with his own.

“Don’t you have your own life to mess with?” Hux asked, grading the pop quiz he’d given when he got sick of everyone’s whispering.  He’d let them sweat about it for a few days before letting them tear it up.

“Wife’s away until Wednesday, so I’m bored and missing Valentine’s sex.  Entertain me,” she told him.

“I meant to tell him I wasn’t interested.”

“Don’t do that.  Give it another shot.  He contacted you after you completely ruined his orgasm by choking on his dick.  If that isn’t worth another try, then I don’t know what is,” she told him.  “I also heard from a little birdy that Sergeant Tarkin caught you stargazing on the lookout.  Did Ben really watch the sky with you?”

“He was just doing it to be an ass.  He thinks I’m a nerd.”

“Well, he isn’t wrong.”

“Very funny.  It was nothing.  He wanted me to show him the comet that wasn’t actually visible.  He didn’t know any of the constellations.  His father pointed out stars and named them after classic cars when he was a child.  It’s a travesty.  Anyway, I showed him Orion and several other constellations, and then he kissed me…”

“That sounds very romantic.”

“Need I remind you of the fire hydrant, and the fact that he is completely unsuitable for me?”

“Why?  He sounds like a dork which should be right up your alley.”  Dork was not the word Hux would’ve used to describe Ben, but he had to pick his battles.  

“Perhaps being a partner that doesn’t arrive late or dress like an extra from Sons of Anarchy.  His penis had more armor on it than a tank,” Hux said, taking a little pleasure from using his favorite red pen.

“Not everyone is perfect like you, Hux.  Though you certainly met your match with this guy’s dick,” Phasma said, laughing as she turned to leave him alone.

Hux hated her.  He checked his messages again, and there was another from Ben.  It turned out of be a picture of a man’s back.  

_—The crying guy’s ink.—_

It was the outline of a giant monster of some sort. The outline looked very good, but Hux couldn't really understand the desire to never see one's clean back again.  Hux shook his head and closed his phone. They had _nothing_ in common.

* * *

Hux stayed at work until four o’clock with the five students he’d given detention to for being too interested in his personal life.  Unfortunately, they took it as an excuse to ask him more questions. Hux got them off his back easily enough.  He had spent years perfecting his glare for moments such as this.  They worked almost silently on their science fair projects for over an hour.  Hux went from person to person giving pointers and helping trouble shoot.

By the time Hux left work, he had a headache and just wanted to go to bed.  He took a shower and dressed in a pair of slacks and a black button up.  It was classic, and it could pass for dressy or casual depending on the setting.

Ben hadn’t given him anything but the address, so Hux didn’t know what he was up against.  When he googled it, it turned out to be a strip mall with a couple food places, so he wasn’t sure which it was.  He was just hoping that Ben was there to find him.

Hux drove the three towns over to where the address was, and he parked in the lot.  He parked in the middle, so there would be an equal distance whether the restaurant was on one side of the mall or the other.

Looking around, Hux didn’t see Ben, so he opened the app they’d been messaging through and sent him a message.

—Here. Where are you?—

— _You came!  I’m still in the shop.  It’s the tattoo shop in the middle of the strip.  Come on in, I’m just cleaning up—_

Hux frowned at the screen then looked up.  How had he missed that the first time?  Knights of Ren Tattoo Parlor was right in the center of the strip mall, and Hux could even see someone moving around inside the well lit shop.

“If he thinks I’m going to get a damn tattoo, he’s out of his mind,” Hux grumbled, locking his car and walking across the lot to Ben’s shop.  He opened the door and stepped into the warm air of the parlor.

The color scheme was all red and black, and the furniture was all very modern.  Leather and chrome dominated the waiting space.  Hux didn’t know how anyone could relax in here.  The whole place seemed to claw at the senses.

“Sorry, I don’t get a lot of free evenings to just make sure everything's in order,” Ben said, stepping out from the back area.  

“I can relate,” Hux said, trying not to be angry for being tricked into coming to the shop. What could he even do in Ben's shop other than make a nuisance of himself.  Hux hated when outside people came into his classes.  It was just a distraction to everyone and put a wrench in the well oiled machine that was his classroom.

“You can look around while I close up if you like.  My portfolio is on the desk if you’re interested,” Ben told him, clearly trying to sound nonchalant about it but desperately wanting Hux to take a look.

“I suppose I’ll take a look,” Hux said, withholding an eyeroll.  

“If you see anything you like, I can—”

“I am _not_ interested in getting a tattoo,” Hux stopped him before he could try to sell Hux the Brooklyn Bridge.

“Of course, but if you did like one.  I’d do it for you,” Ben said, walking back into the employees room.  

“Do you offer to permanently brand all of your dates?” Hux asked, walking over to the book and opening it up.  

“I don’t tattoo anyone for free unless we’re trading ink,” Ben called out to him.

Hux frowned.  “I have no knowledge of how to tattoo, so you will be sorely disappointed if you are expecting to 'trade ink,'” Hux called right back.

“So you’re considering it?”

“What?  No!  I’m just saying, there is no conceivable reason you could have to tattoo me,” Hux said, flipping to the first page of art.

Ben stuck his head through the dangling beads in the doorway.  “Like I said, I think your skin would make a great canvas.”

“You didn’t sound any less like a serial killer the second time you said it either,” Hux informed him, pausing as he looked at the beautiful floral design that had been inked into a woman’s belly.

“She was a great canvas too.  Didn’t flinch once.  Worked on her for hours, and not so much as a peep,” Ben said, pointing at the picture Hux had been looking at.

“Such a peculiar way of looking at people,” Hux said, turning the page and finding an intricate geometric pattern tattooed onto a man’s bicep.

“I was in the Seminary for over a year, and I never felt so connected with religion as I do the ink in my skin,” Ben said, stepping forward and flipping to another page in his book. Hux didn't say that that was because his skin was attached to his body, but he was tempted.

“Half of your tattoos are religious though,” Hux noted, recalling the photo of his back.

Ben shook his head.  “The only thing I could relate to in my theology classes were the people that gave in to temptation.  I feel like I’ve been tempted my whole life, and I don’t particularly understand people who’ve never given in.  What is it like never feeling like a part of you or everything beneath your skin isn’t tainted?” Ben asked, opening to a page of portraits he’d done for people.  “They’re all dead, but those people are going to have that tattoo a lot longer than any priest’s canned sermon about finding peace with God,” Ben said, running his fingers over a portrait of a baby. There were over a dozen of other portraits of loved ones as well, human and animal.

“You’re work is very good,” Hux admitted, having no comeback for what Ben said.  Hux had never been religious, so he couldn’t say whether a priest could give him solace.  Ben seemed to have thought a lot about it though, perhaps to justify his change in paths.

“I know,” Ben told him, retreating back into the other room.

Hux flipped through the dozens of pictures, amazed by the detail and mastery of each design.  Ben’s colors popped, his lines were steady, and his designs were unique without being all about him.  He clearly made tattoos for the people that came to him instead of making a portfolio to sell himself.

“What made you choose tattoos?” Hux asked.

“My grandfather had a shop.  My mom had a few pictures of him back in the day, and my uncle had his old machine. He’d built it himself.  I was pretty obsessed with it growing up, but the family was pretty religious, and the church was kind of the expectation,” Ben said, stepping out again, this time wearing his coat.

“Interesting,” Hux said, understanding a bit more as to why he might feel like the tempted.

“The burger place on the end of the mall is really good,” Ben told him.

“Lead the way,” Hux said, closing the binder and stepping back so Ben could get through.

“I can show you some more of my work later if you’re interested.  I’ve got tons of designs at my apartment,” Ben told him, holding the door open for Hux.

“I would like that,” Hux told him, and it wasn’t even a lie.  Hux had never really considered tattoos before, but Ben’s work was fascinating.  Not something Hux would waste his money on, but art nonetheless.

* * *

Dinner was still weird.  They had essentially nothing in common.  Ben had hated school because he’d been in private schools his whole life, constantly told to fall in line or deal with the consequences.  The fires of damnation were evidently a popular threat for young children.

Hux, on the other hand, had excelled at school.  High school hadn’t been a delight, but he had enjoyed the challenge of being at the top of his class.  Success also brought with it hope for his father’s approval which Hux had spent his youth striving for.

Tonight, they both stuck to beer, and neither of them got out of control.  Though, Hux’s drinking picked up every time Ben brought up the Drought or what had happened the other night.

“I went out on the roof of my building the other night after I dropped you off.  I had to look it up on my phone for where to look, but I think I saw the comet,” Ben admitted not long after sticking his foot in his mouth about Hux’s gag reflex.  

“You did?” Hux couldn’t deny that he was surprised.

“Yeah, usually I go up there to drink when my neighbors have loud sex, but the comet was a good distraction.  It was actually pretty cool,” Ben said, draining the last of his beer from the glass.

“It was?”

“Yeah, that thing is hurtling through space so fast, but we can see it and we can even predict when it’s going to arrive.  That’s crazy.  I can’t even predict when I’m going to get to work from my apartment, and I live like three blocks away,” Ben said, rolling the pint glass between his palms.

“The two aren’t precisely the same. We can measure a year because we know that the Earth doesn’t have to stop at a stop light halfway through its orbit unlike you on your commute, and even then some days you may have to stop while others you won’t.  We can account for increase and decrease in the Earth’s or an asteroids—”

“You are somehow making this so much less cool,” Ben told him.

“Knowledge isn’t _uncool_ ,” Hux retorted.

“Getting lectured about a hobby that isn’t even mine, not exactly cool,” Ben told him, signaling to the waitress for another beer.

“You’d rather pretend it’s magic?”

“It’s not magic.  It’s just the way of the universe, and I’m perfectly happy to let the universe keep doing what it does best.  I reap the benefits either way,” Ben said, nodding to the waitress as she put his drink in front of him.

Hux scoffed.  He tried to dissect everything, and it didn’t make sense to him that someone could just have faith that things were as they should be.  Hux needed to be certain, and unless he knew everything he couldn’t be entirely certain...which made him nervous.  Like how he wasn’t certain everything would fall into place for the science fair, and it was starting to give him an eye twitch.

They were just finishing their drinks when several rough looking men and a woman walked over to their table.  Hux narrowed his eyes as they approached, expecting some sort of trouble.  The group were focused on Ben though.

“Weren’t expecting you out tonight,” one of the men said, grabbing Ben’s hand and nearly dragging him out of the booth for a hug.

Hux’s eyebrows inched higher as the others all took turns embracing Ben.  When Ben sat back down, he motioned to Hux.

“Hux, these are some of my coworkers,” Ben said.  

“A pleasure,” Hux said, though he wondered just how many people worked in the shop if this was only some of them.

A few of them nodded or offered their hands for a shake.  Hux just tried not to say the wrong thing because none of them looked as easygoing as Ben had been about Hux’s sharp tongue.

“You the guy Kylo’s been mooning over?” one of the men asked.  That eased the tension a little.

“Well, it was great to see everyone—”  Ben tried to cut them off, but they seemed to be having none of it.

“We’re just looking out for you,” the woman said.

“I’m almost thirty, I can—”

“Did jizz really shoot out you nose?” one of the men at the back of the group asked.  "And was it like shooting out or just a dribble?"

"You can't just ask the poor man how it came out his nose," the woman scolded him, but then destroyed any goodwill Hux felt for her in the next breath.  "He probably couldn't see it that well since it was coming out of his nose."

Hux felt like putting his head down on the table and begging whatever benevolent deity would listen to end it right there. Their inquiries were clearly good natured, and they all seemed quite supportive of Ben and his relationships.  Possibly the worst part was that all of these people, Ben included, seemed to think jizz was an acceptable term for people above the age of fifteen to use.

 "I mean it's nothing to worry about.  Who hasn't had a bad blowjob?" another attested.

"Yeah, you can consider that a preview to some erotic asphyx— 

“Out,” Ben said, standing up again, and physically pushing them away from the table.  He didn’t stop until they were on the other side of the bar, and then Hux could see Ben scolding them animatedly.  Hux actually chuckled to himself as he motioned to their waiter for the check.  At least, he wasn't the only one with friends who was far too invested in his love life...and had awful ideas.

When Ben came back, he looked sheepish.

“How many people did you tell about that?” Hux asked, sipping his beer.

“Just the gang.  They’re like family.  Took me in when I had nowhere to go…”

“And give you advice about nearly drowning your partners in ejaculate,” Hux said.

“That too.  Maybe now would be a good time to pay up and get out of here,” Ben said, eyes moving back to the group.

“I paid while you were chastising them,” Hux told him, shrugging as Ben held open his wallet.  Ben put it away and stood back up.

“I’m close by if you don’t mind following me,” Ben said as he walked Hux out of the restaurant.  

Hux considered going straight home.  He could still get work done, but he’d brought an extra set of clothes just in case, and Phasma wouldn’t be off his ass until he either dumped Ben or got thoroughly laid. He pretended he wasn’t also looking forward to getting laid.  It was one of those things he didn’t notice he was missing until he was made aware of it, and now it was constantly at the back of his mind.

“Not a problem,” Hux said, still considering just turning toward home as soon as he got out of the lot.  

Hux followed Ben’s massive bronco, possibly against his better judgment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: briefest mention of child death (in the context of memorial tattoos), Ben's continued use of the word jizz, briefest mention of periods, crude conversation


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is inspired in part by [this art](http://jakkutrashheap.tumblr.com/post/155225982712/ehhh-i-did-two-drawings-last-night-wasnt-going) by [jakkutrashheap](http://jakkutrashheap.tumblr.com/) which made me laugh embarrassingly loud when I first saw it, and I've been dying to write something inspired by it since.
> 
> Chapter warnings at the end

Ben hadn’t lied about how close he lived to he shop.  In under three minutes, Hux was pulling into a spot beside Ben and stepping out of his car.  The apartment building wasn’t brand new, but it was well kept. The facade was quite clean, and the parking was generous.

Hux was a little impressed by the place, considering he hadn't entirely believed Ben's claim that the mattress in his backseat was for camping.

Ben led Hux up to his apartment, and clearly Ben was making decent money at the shop because the apartment was quite large and modern. The ceilings were even quite high, making the rooms seem that much more spacious.

“So, about apologizing for the other night,” Ben said, pushing Hux back against the closed door and leaning in for a kiss.  His firm body held Hux in place, and Hux could feel the bulge in Ben’s too-tight pants.  “Where do you want me to give you the best blowjob of your entire life?” Ben asked between wet kisses.  His fingers deftly unbuttoned Hux’s shirt and quickly began to explore his chest and sides.  Hux couldn’t remember the last time he was touched intimately by another.

“Not against the door,” Hux said, pushing Ben back and stepping away from the door before he could be trapped against it again.  Hux may have been a little bit desperate to get laid, but he certainly wasn’t so desperate as to receive fellatio in the entryway against the door.  He hoped never to be in such dire straits.

“The couch is pretty nice, or we could use my bed,” Ben suggested.

Hux didn’t ask why the bed wasn’t the first option on the list.  Certainly, Ben understood that beds were created for this sort of activity.  “Bed would be nice,” he said, allowing Ben to lead him to the bedroom.

When they stepped into the large room, Hux realized why Ben hadn’t immediately dragged him to bed.  He had a single bed.  A twin mattress.  Hux had outgrown a single as soon as he hit puberty and shot up to six feet.  How could Ben possibly fit on that tiny thing?

Ben didn’t seem to notice Hux’s reservations, and he pulled Hux to the bed and encouraged him to lie back against the headboard.  He propped Hux up with several pillows and smirked at Hux as he reached for his belt.

“You look good in black,” Ben told him, unbuttoning Hux’s pants and pulling the zipper down.

Hux tried to relax.  It had been a while since anyone had seen him naked or put their mouth on him.  He didn’t want to embarrass himself any more than he had the other night.  Though, Ben was in charge of things tonight.  If something went amiss, then it would be his own fellatio skills in question.  That thought didn’t actually sooth Hux very much, his mind coming up with horrible scenarios for how things could go wrong.

Ben tugged Hux’s pants down to his thighs then stopped.  He sucked in a sharp breath, and Hux looked at him in confusion.  Surely, they hadn’t gone off track already...

“Are you wearing lingerie?” Ben asked, reaching down and running his large hand over the black lace that covered Hux’s crotch.

“It’s my underwear,” Hux told him casually.  He’d been wearing it for so long that he’d forgotten most men didn’t.  

“You wore lingerie for me?” Ben asked, sounding breathless as he continued to run his fingertips over Hux’s panties.  Hux’s cock twitched at the attention.

“ _No_ , I always wear these.  I don’t like the way boxers or boxer-briefs bunch.  It’s irritating, and I like how secure these feel,” Hux explained, reaching down and running his hand over the distinct bulge in the lace.  Everything was held firmly in place, no dangling or getting his nuts caught if he sat wrong.  Everything was exactly where he wanted it, and he could move freely.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie about my underwear?” Hux asked.

“Because you’re wearing lace panties,” Ben retorted.

“Shut up and blow me,” Hux told him, pulling him forward by the t-shirt.

“I’m not complaining.  You look...god you look really good in them,” Ben said, tugging Hux’s pants off completely and leaning in to press his face to the lace over Hux’s cock.

Ben mouthed at the lace until Hux was completely hard.  Hux watched, breathing unsteady, as Ben peeled the panties down over his thighs to reveal his hard cock.  Ben licked his lips then wrapped them around the head.

Hux groaned loudly, head falling back against the pillows.  He hadn’t felt this in so long.  He reached down and buried his fingers in Ben’s thick hair.

“Just like that,” Hux encouraged as Ben used his tongue to tease Hux’s foreskin.  

Ben took the encouragement and suckled gentle at Hux’s foreskin, making Hux’s back arch and his brain seem to short circuit for a moment. Most of his partners didn’t know what to do with the foreskin, fumbling around like it was going to attack them. Hux loved teasing it when he pleasured himself, and he sighed happily as Ben played with it.

Ben didn’t let up though, retracting the foreskin enough to give attention to the head of Hux’s cock. Suddenly, the piercing through Ben’s tongue was batting at his cock none too gently.

“Fuck, careful,” Hux warned, but Ben took the whole thing into his mouth and tongued at it and sucked it.  “Shit, too much,” Hux cried, shaking violently as his sensitive head was overstimulated.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asked, pulling back and rubbing Hux’s thigh soothingly.

“I’m very sensitive...probably made worse because of the drought,” Hux admitted.

“So, don’t tease the head?” Ben asked, taking the direction without fuss.  Hux wouldn’t have called that teasing exactly, more like using him head as a punching bag for Ben’s overly aggressive tongue.

“Gentle teasing is fine, but anything more is a bit...painful,” Hux admitted.

Ben nodded, leaning back down and actually placing one of the gentlest kisses Hux had ever experienced on the head of his cock.  Hux shivered but for a wholly pleasurable reason.  Ben took most of Hux’s cock into his mouth and gently began to bob his head.  

Hux gripped the sheets panting hard as Ben proved his prediction correct.  Soon enough he was taking all of Hux right into his throat.  Sweat prickled at Hux’s skin as he watched Ben swallow him down, burying his nose in the hair at the base of Hux’s cock.  Hux could feel the litter ring though Ben’s nose against his skin.

“Yes, just like that,” Hux sighed, feeling how close he was.  It really had been too long since he’d felt another person’s touch.  “I’m close,” he warned, and Ben gave him a few more bobs, teasing Hux’s shaft with his piercing, before pulling back and stroking Hux quickly.

Hux bucked up into Ben’s fist and groaned loudly as his whole body shook.  He felt his balls tighten, and everything was wonderful as he spilled over Ben’s fist.

“Shit, you look good like that,” Ben said, running his hand up and down Hux’s thigh as Hux recovered.  “Can I...would you mind if I...fuck, your chest is really turning me on,” Ben admitted.

Hux looked down at his pale chest where his black shirt parted as Ben had unbuttoned it before they had even gotten to the bedroom.  He frowned.  “It’s not that impressive,” Hux told him.

“I just...would you mind if I got off on it?” Ben asked.

Hux groaned internally.  “Fine,” he said, curious enough to see where this would go.

Ben shuffled forward, kneeling over Hux and pressing his cock to Hux’s chest.  Ben groaned, using his come covered hand to press his cock to Hux’s skin.  He almost immediately started rocking into the narrow space between Hux and his hand, grunting loudly.

Hux’s eyebrows inched higher.  “You could just as easily fuck against the wall.  My sternum isn’t exactly giving,” Hux said, reaching up and holding Ben’s hips in case he lost balance.  Ben blushed, telling Hux that he absolutely had before, and Hux wasn’t sure how to take that.

Ben thrust against Hux a little faster, panting as his large cock was squeezed between them, piercings dragging over Hux’s skin.  Hux wouldn’t call it the most erotic thing he’d ever been a part of...or even in the top 50, and Hux really couldn’t name many erotic things he’d been a part of.  Ben seemed to enjoying himself though if the loud noises he was making were anything to go by..  “God, you’re gorgeous,” Ben muttered, reaching up to cup Hux’s face.

It would have been tender if not a moment later Ben hadn’t cried out and come...all over Hux’s gorgeous face.  Hux didn’t know how Ben had done it, but his cock must have been angled just right that when he came, it hit Hux in the face instead of over his chest or on his neck.

Hux blinked up at Ben as he felt several spurts of ejaculate land over his mouth, cheeks and unfortunately in his eye.  It didn’t start to burn for a moment, but once the immediate shock wore off, Hux felt like his eye was on fire.

“Shit, sorry.  I didn’t—”

Hux shoved Ben off of himself and the narrow bed and charged for the bathroom...only he didn’t know where it was.  “Where is your bathroom?” Hux demanded, using his hand to open his eye and try to clear the come out of it.  

What if Ben’s cock did shoot lava?  It certainly burned like it had.  Hux was going to lose his already questionable eyesight...and then he’d have to face Phasma...and Poe.  This was truly a pain worse than death.

Ben staggered to his feet before leading Hux to the bathroom.  He apologized profusely as he tried to help Hux rinse his eye out.  It wouldn’t have been nearly as bad if Hux hadn’t been wearing contacts.  He was left wondering if a contact could get glued to his cornea by ejaculate as he splashed water over his face.

Ben disappeared at some point then returned with a first aid kit.  He stopped Hux from fussing, and gently cupped Hux’s face.  He used a wet wipe to clean the rest of his release off of Hux’s chin and lips, then he held Hux’s head steady as he checked his eye.

“I’m going to wash my hands then I’ll get the contact out.  I’ve got drops in the kit,” he said, letting go of Hux and washing up thoroughly.  “I’m really sorry.  I guess it’s pretty obvious I’m not used to having a partner either,” Ben said, guiding Hux’s arms around his waist.  He held Hux’s head steady then carefully took out both of Hux’s contacts for him.

“Were you expecting a different outcome? Though, I suppose the wall can’t complain when you _jizz_ all over it,” Hux said, using Ben’s favored term.  This was a situation where only the crudest of terminology would suffice.

Hux had never had someone else either put in or take out his contacts before.  It was strangely intimate having to trust Ben not to jab him in the eye...again.  Ben was gentle though when the situation called for it.

“Sorry.  I was just so in the moment,” Ben admitted.  “You have really pretty eyes,” Ben added, stroking Hux’s cheek.

“Even when they are horrifically bloodshot because you ejaculated in them?” Hux asked, still holding Ben’s waist.

“Yes, even then,” Ben said, leaning in to kiss Hux gently.  Hux could still taste Ben’s come, but the kiss was surprisingly nice precisely what Hux needed. Otherwise, he'd start thinking of the diseases he could get from this incident, and how he'd have to wear an eye patch if syphilis began to...no he wouldn't think of that. Ben was clean. This was just an unfortunate turn of events, nothing catastrophic.

Ben cupped his face and coaxed him to open to the kiss.  It was a little sloppy, but it was a welcome distraction from the pain in his eye.

“You should probably stay the night.  It’s late, and your eye has been compromised,” Ben said.  If Hux wasn’t entirely sure Ben couldn’t have possibly planned to come in his eye and render him unable to drive, he would have thought Ben was a mastermind.  Instead, he sounded like a bumbling idiot.

“I don’t know if there's room,” Hux said as they walked back into the bedroom.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck.  “I got used to sleeping on a crappy cot at seminary.  Figured there was no point buying an expensive bed when I was used to this.”

“You are longer than the bed itself,” Hux said, looking Ben up and down and then at the small mattress.

“I usually just let my feet dangle…”

Hux shook his head.  “It’s only for a night.  I’ll survive,” he said, pulling off his shirt and going to lie down.  Ben followed, stripping away the rest of his clothing and sliding onto the too small mattress.  

“Roll over,” Hux ordered when Ben faced him.  “I refuse to be smothered in my sleep,” Hux said when Ben looked confused.  Ben did as he was told and then shut off the light.

Hux lasted all of fifteen minutes in the cramped bed.  His feet hung over the end.  He couldn’t move without jabbing Ben or nearly falling off the bed.  Then Ben started to snore.

Hux hit him with a pillow, but that didn’t stop the snores or wake Ben.  Crawling out of bed, Hux marched out to the living room and collapsed naked onto the couch.

\---

Hux woke to light streaming in through the windows, and a hand clasped in his own.  Hux frowned, opening his eyes and looking over the side of the couch where his arm had flopped over.

Ben laid naked on the floor, holding Hux’s hand.  Had Ben really come out here without a blanket or pillow, moved the coffee table, and decided to sleep on the floor beside him? All without waking Hux?  Hux was tempted to wake Ben and demand answers, but the morning light caught his skin beautifully and Hux felt his breath catch.

So much of Ben’s skin was covered in ink, but it didn’t take away from the beauty of his body.  In fact, the tattoos stretched so perfectly over his muscled arms and legs that they only seemed to enhance his features.  His bulk wasn’t outrageous, but functional.  He looked like he could work for hours without tiring.

Hux’s eyes traced the sword that went from Ren’s right hip to his knee.  It was covered in flowering vines that were so delicate compared to the grays of the blade. The cross guard at his hip was covered in dark red as though it was still bathed in the blood of his enemies...or perhaps his own.  Hux’s eyes then traced the scrawling words over his ribs.  Hux couldn’t read them without his glasses due to his still irritated eye, but they looked good over his rib cage.

“Are you dissecting me with your eyes?” Ben asked, squeezing Hux’s hand gently.

“Wrong type of science teacher,” Hux retorted, looking up into Ben’s eyes.  “What are you doing out here?” Hux asked.

“Didn’t want you to wake alone in a strange house.  I don’t like being disoriented when I wake up,” Ben said, sitting up.  He still didn’t seem to care that he’d slept on the floor without a pillow or a stitch of clothing.  

“You slept on the floor,” Hux pointed out, just in case he hadn’t realized it.

“Not the first time,” Ben said, stretching up and kissing Hux’s cheek.  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, smiling slightly as he pulled back.

“We’re hardly a couple,” Hux said immediately.  He would’ve perhaps felt bad if he hadn’t been choked then nearly blinded during their first two dates.  Certainly, no one expected to achieve a relationship after that.

Ben frowned, but he didn’t object.  “You want anything to eat?”

“Just coffee.  I need to head to back,” Hux told him, checking his watch to make sure he had time to stop home before work.

“I can do coffee,” Ben told him, moving to the kitchen.

Hux went to the bedroom and pulled on his clothes before joining Ben in the kitchen.  As he walked in, he found Ben doing push ups against the counter as he waited for the single serve coffeemaker to finish Hux’s cup.  Hux only _just_ withheld his opinion of single serve coffeemakers, and that was only because he was distracted as Ben dropped to the floor to do more push ups.  The muscles in his back and ass looked particularly good from this position.

“You know we could have another round before you go,” Ben suggested, standing up again and crowding Hux against the counter.  

In the light of day, Ben was hard to ignore.  Not his presence, though that too was hard to ignore, but his body.  He realized that he’d missed the piercings through Ben’s nipples.  Two little unassuming metal bars among the expanse of skin and ink, but they looked ready to be touched and teased.  

Hux also noticed that Ben had several scars hiding beneath his expertly done tattoos.  Hux wouldn’t have even been able to tell if he wasn’t up close and personal with Ben’s chest.  Hux tried not to stare at the very appealing body currently pressing against him and looking for attention.  He had to get to work.  He couldn’t trust a sub to deliver his lesson or put the fear of the Almighty into his students the way only he could.

“What?  So you can get me in the other eye this time?” Hux asked.  

Ben shook his head, but he stepped back, but not before pressing a kiss to Hux’s cheek.

“How is your eye?” Ben asked, pulling the mug out of the machine and handing it to Hux.

“Not well enough that one of these is going to suffice,” Hux informed him, practically draining the mug in one gulp.

Ben looked a little horrified, but he opened the cabinet and pulled out several cups for the machine.

Ben ended up putting three cups of coffee into a travel mug for Hux.  Ben gave him a kiss before Hux escaped, and Hux sat in his car in the school lot that morning wondering how he was going to reject Ben.  

It had to be done.  They were incompatible.  Ben snored.  The sex was becoming downright dangerous, and they’d only attempted blowjobs.  Not to mention, Ben could function on one cup of mediocre coffee a morning.  Clearly, they were not in any way compatible.

Someone knocked on his window, and Hux nearly jumped out of his skin.  Phasma stood next to his car looking curious.

“Go away,” Hux said, making a shooing motion.

“Not a chance.  Come on out and tell me how it went,” she called.

Hux groaned, but got out of his care.  “Must you be this way?” he asked, removing his briefcase from the passenger seat.  When he straightened up, Phasma gasped.

“Did he get you high before work?” she asked, sounding almost giddy.

“What?  No, of course not,” Hux replied, adjusting his glasses which he’d been forced to wear due to his eye situation.

“Why are your eyes bloodshot, and you’re wearing glasses.  You never wear your glasses,” she said.

Hux cursed.  Why did she have to be so observant?  “I had an unfortunate accident,” he said.

“What kind of accident? Not another chemistry accident...”

Hux sighed.  There was no use trying to avoid it.  She wouldn’t be deterred.  “Ben got ejaculate in my eye,” Hux said.

Several birds were frightened out of the nearby trees as Phasma laughed loudly and what might just be described as violently.  Hux did not appreciate it.

“I’ll be in my room, planning how to dump this man,” Hux said, walking away as she practically collapsed on the ground as she continued to laugh.

“Hux, please come back.  You have to tell me just how that happened,” she called after him, but Hux walked faster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: briefest mention of venereal diseases, eye horror? (cum to the eye), unsafe sex (BJs), chest fucking, mild over stimulation, lingerie


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings at end

During fifth period, Hux stood in front of his class balanced on his desk, flying the paper airplanes he'd confiscated from students earlier in the period. They’d set up several fans to guide the plane around the room via the air currents.  If all turned out well, and the plane wasn’t harboring some fatal flaw, it should’ve floated right to the wall above the trashcan.

Hux didn’t even mind getting sidetracked if his students demonstrated that they’d been listening to him and learning by strategically using the fans to get the plane from point A to point B.

“If it doesn't get across the room, you have detention,” Hux announced before letting the airplane fly.

The paper airplane swooped down before leveling out a little. It passed over the first fan which slightly altered its course, sending it in the direction of the second fan. Hux smiled as the thing glided. It wasn't a bad design. Perhaps he'd show them how to improve it if they received detention.

Before the airplane could finish its flight, someone stepped into the classroom carrying two massive boxes and a small bouquet of flowers. As they stepped inside, the airplane hit them in the knees, falling to the ground just steps away from its destination.

“Detention,” Hux proclaimed a little too excitedly.

“That's not fair. It was sabotaged,” his student shouted.

“It didn't make it,” Hux said, hopping off the desk and walking across the room to where the secretary was looking less than please.

“You got a delivery, Mr. Hux,” she said, giving him a dry look.

“I did? This is for me?”

“You mean you didn't send it to yourself?” she asked, sounding amused.  She and Hux didn’t necessarily see eye to eye, and their relationship could’ve best been described as adversarial.  

“Why would I send myself flowers? I'm allergic to half of these anyway,” he said, studying the small mug filled with a variety of blooms. The mug itself was almost black with little dots of white on it. Hux frowned.  Were those constellations...

“Please just take it. I'm not your _personal_ secretary,” she said, dropping the boxes on his desk.  Ah there it was.  There had been a few ill advised dates back when he’d first been hired. She was just enough older than him that it had seemed adventurous. Maybe a little too adventurous because, when she’d shown up at his house wearing a tight pencil skirt and fuck me heels then asked him if he’d like to bend her over his desk and fuck her, he may have not known what to do.  It had been over a decade, and she still hadn’t forgiven him.

“What did you get, Mr. Hux?” a student asked as he pulled the note from the box of chocolates.

— _to the brightest star in the galaxy—_  

Hux’s frown deepened. That was quite vague and grossly sentimental.

“What does it say? Do you have a secret admirer?”

“Open to page 243. Yesterday, we left off...”

“But aren't you going to open it?”

“ _No_.”

* * *

Hux ended up opening it during his lunch, and he was very happy he'd at least had the sense to wait. The gifts had to be from Ben which was a bit off putting since just that morning he'd said they weren't an item, and also because Ben had sent him lingerie _to his place of work._

There were three sets of panties, two of which were astronomy themed with stars and planets on them. The third was a sexy lace thong with a matching garter belt.

Hux was tempted to find the phone number of Ben's tattoo parlor and tell him they could never see each other again...but then Phasma walked into the room.

“Are those panties?”

“ _Don't_ ,” Hux warned.

“I didn't know you still wore those,” she said, lifting a pair right out of the box. “Boy does he have your number. They have the solar system on them,” she said, holding them up as though he wasn’t already aware.

“This is harassment,” he told her.

“I bought you your first set that wasn’t stolen from you ex-fiancee,” she reminded him. “He even knows your size. Impressive. I guess he's very sorry about your eye.”

“They weren’t stolen.  She left them behind when she moved out. I was hardly going to mail them to her.  That would’ve seemed quite deranged.”

“Like wearing your ex-girlfriend’s panties isn’t?”

“It was one time because the washing machine broke. I just happened to like how secure they…” Hux stopped himself.  “This has to end. It is incredibly inappropriate to send this sort of thing to someone you aren't dating and also to their place of work,” Hux said, getting back on track.

“Live a little, Hux. He just sent you a gift that he clearly put thought into. And he clearly wants to see you in these.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Why?”

“I told him just this morning that we weren't an item,” Hux complained.

“Why not?”

“Because he choked me with his come...”

“You choked yourself. You said he gave you multiple warnings.”

“Well, he nearly blinded me last night.”

“Clearly an accident, no one's aim is that good,” She countered.

“We have nothing in common.”

“Have you tried looking for something in common? You like the solar system. He’d like to see you wearing it on your junk. That’s something in common.”

Hux opened his mouth and then closed it again. He'd really only been planning to use Ben for the sex, and well that had worked out about as well as shooting himself in the face with a turkey baster...twice. Phasma’s unfunny joke aside, could they really have things in common?

“Thank him for the presents. He already knows he didn't have to, but he chose to. Give him one more chance, and stop thinking about how bad the sex is and just enjoy the date. Nothing makes sex worse than dumping expectations on it. And maybe wear your new panties for him,” Phasma said.

“If he murders me and uses my skin to practice his trade, I will haunt you for the rest of your days,” Hux threatened.

“I look forward to it,” Phasma teased him.

Hux sat through the rest of the period eating half of the box of chocolates that Ben had sent him.  They were good chocolates too, all dark, none of that sickening light stuff.

* * *

Ben didn’t message him that day, and Hux refused to message him first.  Hux wasn’t the one making this awkward and more serious than sex.  The next day he did message Ben to thank him for the chocolates and to inform him that he was allergic to most varieties of wildflowers used in bouquets.

Phasma had taken the flowers off his hands—leaving the mug behind—to give her wife when she got home.

Ben didn’t respond right away.  Hux supposed that seven in the morning was a bit early to expect immediate responses.  When he still hadn’t received a reply at lunch, he began to wonder if Ben had decided he wasn’t worth the trouble.

Hux went through his day, and he stayed late to work with students on their science fair projects and speak to several other teachers about plans for the fair.  

Still no message from Ben.

Hux went home and threw together a quick meal and ate in front of his grade book, Millicent sleeping on the back to the couch by his head.  It was just like every other night for the last three years, but by seven forty-five, Hux was itching for something.

“Perhaps we should watch a movie, Millie,” he said, reaching up to scratch her head.  She bunted against his fingers.  He noticed his glass of wine was empty for the third time, but he resisted refilling it. A movie would be a better distraction.  Too much wine, and he might end up messaging Ben and demanding to know why he wasn’t returning his messages.  That would be humiliating...well, more so than Ben ignoring him in the first place.

Hux flipped through the channels, but there wasn’t anything that interested him on the television.  He walked over to the shelves that housed the meager collection of movies he actually owned, and he searched for something to distract him.

“ _When Harry Met Sally_?” he called over his shoulder—another relic of his ex-fiancee.  “Wait, you don’t like that one,” he said, pulling out another movie.  Hux went through a dozen movies without settling on a single one.  He was about to give up and pour himself another glass of wine when his phone let out a message alert.

Hux tried to play it cool, walking to the kitchen and getting himself a glass of water.  He was halfway through pouring it when he realized it was just him and Millicent, and she’d certainly seen him at lower moments—last year’s flu for one.  He put the glass down and walked right back to the couch.  He opened the message and found it was from Ben.

— _Sorry about that.  I thought the mug was fun. It changes color when you put coffee in it, and I didn’t know what else to put in it.  Do the panties fit?  I just went by how my hands fit around your waist—_

Hux considered answering right away, but he figured that might seem desperate.  He put his phone down and went back to the shelf, picking up _when Harry Met Sally_ again and putting it on.  Let Ben stew a bit.

Millicent moved to his lap as he settled in, and he watched the movie as she slept on him.  “We don’t need anyone else,” Hux said, stroking her back gently.  Not a minute later he got another alert.  He checked it, half expecting a new match.  It was Ben again.

— _Sorry I didn’t respond earlier.  I had to drive six hours to get us to an expo, and I’ve been going nonstop since I got here.  Our hotel reservation was fucked, so now we’re all sharing one room instead of three.  I’ve been doing paperwork and designs all day, and I just saw your message.  Hope your day was better than mine—_

Hux actually responded this time.

—The panties fit, though I do not believe they are an appropriate thing to send to a school.  I am sorry your day was lengthy

— _You should send me a picture, just so I can be sure they fit right—_

Hux frowned.  The man was so far from smooth that it somehow managed to be endearing.  Hux hated it.

—I do not take part in illicit text conversations. I have no guarantee that you will not post my panty covered ass all over the internet—

— _I’ll be too busy jerking off to send it to other people. Also, you should send a front shot too, so I can be sure it covers all of you.  I mean, keeps you secure—_

“He is impossible Millicent.  Why would I send him provocative pictures of myself after our previous encounters?” Hux asked, running his fingers through the cat’s impressive coat.  Hux grumbled to Millicent, going through all of Ben’s faults as the cat purred along to the sound of his voice and skill of his fingers.

His phone vibrated with another message.  Hux sighed and opened it to find a picture of Kylo’s dick, no underwear.  Hux blinked at the screen.  That was...well, huge. Evidently the saying the camera adds ten pounds applied to penises as well.  Not that Ben was by any means small or even average to begin with, but up close and personal like this picture it was downright massive.

—Are you trying to threaten me?— Hux replied, still focused on the thumbnail of the picture.

— _No.  I’m sexting you.  Why would my penis be a threat?—_

—Have you looked at it?  It’s wearing a coat of armor, and I am unfortunately aware of what it is capable of in close combat.  Not to mention the size of it—

— _Did you just refer to a blowjob as close combat?—_

—When I am assaulted and nearly killed by your penis, yes, I will refer to it as close combat.—

— _You’re being overly dramatic. You didn’t even pass out.  Your inability to swallow is hardly my penis’ fault.—_

Hux shook his head.  This was ridiculous. He was really arguing with Ben about his penis.  Hux took a breath.  Another message came through.

— _Is it really scary?—_

Hux remembered Ben getting upset on their first date when Hux had implied that his equipment was ungainly.  He cursed to himself.

—You have a very handsome cock.  Even if it is adorned in a suit of armor...and abuses me at every opportunity—

— _I liked it better when you called it frightening.  Handsome is not a word that should be used for dicks.—_

—If I send you a picture of the panties, well you stop this conversation?—

— _I don’t want to force you to send it.  I’m just exhausted but too wound up to sleep, so I’m looking for a distraction. If you’re busy, feel free to tell me to fuck off.—_

Hux sighed.  Personally, Hux hated to travel.  It was always a hassle, from finding pet friendly hotels to hauling his crap from place to place. He was perfectly happy staying home, doing research at the local university when he could get the funding and free time to dabble.  During the summer he tried to get work at different observatories, but even that was a hassle.  He could understand why Ben was feeling awful.

He went into his bedroom and opened the box of gifts Ben had sent him.  He tried to decide which to send Ben a picture of. He picked the lacy thong out of the box and placed it neatly on the bed, and then he dropped his pants and shimmied out of the panties he was wearing.

Hux cinched the garter belt around his waist and went to his chest of drawers. He moved his socks to the side to reveal the small collection of silk stockings he owned.  He removed a sheer black pair and carefully pulled them up, one leg at a time.  He connected the top of each stocking to the garters and adjusted them until they were even.  The stocking came to his mid thighs and stretched over the muscle there.  It was appealing, he thought.  

Once the stockings were in place, he stepped into the thong and brought it up his silk-clad legs.  He stood in front of the full length mirror in his bedroom as he carefully adjusted the thong and the tucked himself into it.  He watched himself in the mirror as he smoothed the fabric over his cock.  

Hux turned slowly, making sure that everything was perfect.  He hadn’t gotten decked out in stockings in months.  He’d only ever worn them for himself.  They felt so nice against his skin, and sometimes he enjoyed running his fingers over his silk covered thighs as he masturbated. It wasn’t a common indulgence, and it certainly wasn’t one he’d ever shared with a partner.

The Great Drought had caused him to discover quite a bit about himself.  Or maybe Phasma was responsible for this.  It was one of the pairs of panties she’d initially bought him that came with complimentary stockings.  She’d innocently told them they were her wife’s favorite brand, but unfortunately they weren’t her size, so Hux could keep them.

Hux picked up his phone and tried to find a good angle to photograph himself.  He felt a flush rise on his skin as he adjusted his stance and the camera to better capture his lace covered ass.  He took several pictures before he sat down to fiddle with filters.  

It was something his students had taught him. He’d sworn he’d never have use for such information, and they should really get back to their projects instead of “insta-ing” them.  Yet, here he was, carefully selecting a filter to best showcase him.

If only his mentors could see him now, promising scholar reduced to sharing dirty messages with an ex priest-in-training.  This was certainly not a tenure at NASA.  Then again, his classmates had seemed to have no trouble balancing their sex lives and academic lives.

“All work and no play…” Hux muttered to himself as he swiped through options.

Once the first angle was set, he got up and tried for the bulge in the front.  It was more difficult to get a satisfactory shot of his crotch.  It would be easier with a stationary camera, but he was working with just his cell phone.

Hux followed the same process, getting a bunch of pictures then sifting through them and adding filters or just adjusting the light and color.  When he had a solid pair, he attached them to a message and sent them to Ben. He debated adding text, but he really wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never sent anyone scandalous pictures of himself before.  

The response was almost immediate.

— _Shit, I need to barricade myself in the bathroom.  You’re gorgeous.  Why the fuck did the hotel have to screw up our rooms?  I need to be able to jerk off to this in peace—_

Hux laughed even as a slight blush covered his face.  Hux was many things—brilliant physicist, excellent educator, punctual date—but he was not entirely well versed in sexual communication.  Perhaps that was another reason his fiancee had left.  Hux wasn’t one to explicitly tell his partners that they turned him on.

Ben seemed to have no such hangups.  In fact after only a minute, Hux received another message.

— _Your legs...fuck.—_

And another.

— _And your ass.  Shit, that lace riding up your ass is so hot.—_

And another.

— _Fuck, I want to bury my face in your crotch.  Let you come all over me so long as you’re wearing that. I bet those stockings are so soft. Fuuuuuuuck.—_

Hux was more than a little surprised by the reaction.  They weren’t even particularly good pictures despite his best efforts of filtering and adjusting them.  Yet, Ben seemed like he had never seen something so erotic.  Who knew?  Maybe he hadn’t.  

This gave Hux an idea.  It was stupid really.  He shouldn’t have sent those images in the first place...but Ben’s reaction.  He didn’t really know Ben to be insincere in his reactions to things, so he didn’t doubt that the man was thoroughly aroused by his lace covered assets.

—Are you alone?— Hux sent the message already walking into the ensuite and turning on the tub.  

— _I’m locked in the bathroom.  I wouldn’t call it alone because I can totally hear them talking about me right now, but there is a door between us—_

—And what are they saying about you?—

Hux rifled through his cabinets, searching for the bottle of bubbles that one of his students had given him when she mixed up Christmas gifts last year. The fact that it was more than half empty was a testament to the stress levels Hux had been feeling with each passing month.

— _The usual stuff. Saying I’m dick whipped.  Claiming I do nothing but talk about you. Just being dicks—_

—Am I really all you talk about?— Hux couldn’t help himself.  That certainly help bolster him for what he was about to do.

— _Shut up—_

Hux smirked as he poured a capful of bubble bath into the running water and watched the bubbles begin to grow rapidly in the strong jets of the tub.  He stood there just watching the swirl of the bubble as they got caught in the flow from the faucet.  

—Lock the door— he sent, standing in front of the mirror and taking a good look at himself.  What was he doing?  He didn’t even like this guy, but something about Ben made Hux was to throw away the rulebook.  The man had such a strange energy about him that Hux couldn’t explain, but it drew Hux out of his perfectly planned life.  Even the missteps between them were intriguing once Hux got over the humiliation of them.

— _A lock really isn’t going to stop these guys if one of them has to take a dump—_

Hux huffed out a tentative laugh.  Ben had no sense of decorum, or maybe he just chose to ignore it. Hux had never had a friend so blunt, and Phasma was fairly blunt but nothing compared to Ben’s casual talk of jizz and dumps.  It was strangely refreshing to not have to worry about possibly offending Ben.  Even when he said things truly offensive to Ben, the man didn’t even bat an eye.

Hux walked over to the tub and sat on the edge of it.  He arranged his legs to cross at the ankle and held out his phone to get a picture of him testing the bubble bath with his other hand.  The panties and tops of his stockings were also in the image, but not Hux’s face.  He took a couple shots, careful not to drop his phone.

Then he sent the best one to Ben.

—Well, if you don’t have the time, I suppose I will have to bathe alone—

— _Fuuuuuuck.  I’m barricading the door.  Don’t you dare bathe alone.—_

Hux smirked.  He didn’t take the stockings or the lingerie off as he turned and slipped his feet into the water.  Maybe Hux had watched one too many “tasteful” pornos with girls in the bathtub, but he had several fantasies that involved the tub and plenty of bubbles.  Ben just seemed perfectly happy to watch him live a few.

— _I’m ready. What are you doing now?— Ben messaged him._

—Just slipping into the tub. What are you doing?—

— _Fisting my cock to the thought of you in the bath—_

Hux carefully slipped into the bath, kneeling in the hot water.  It came up to his mid thighs with the bubbles climbing a little higher.  He levered himself down just a little before taking a few pictures.  Then he took a scoop of bubbles and spread them up over his thighs to his belly.

He sent those to Ben and took a couple shots from behind while he waited for a response.  

— _I wish I was there with you—_

—And what would you do if you were?—

— _I’d tear that thong off of you with my teeth, and I’d have you bouncing on my cock—_

—And if I said no?—

— _If I was there what would you have me doing?—_

Hux smiled. He had to give Ben points for being open minded.  —I’d have you sit and watch me bathe myself, pleasure myself. I wouldn’t let you touch me unless I asked you to. I’d get myself off, and they I’d make you lick me clean. I might even leave you panting for me without getting you off—

— _Fuck—_

Finally, he sank completely into the tub and bent his knees up to peek up out of the bubbles.  He stretched one like up and took several pictures.  He ran his fingers over his wet stocking as he took a few more.

He continued to shift in the tub, taking shots of him kneeling again with water dripping from his lace covered crotch.  He took pictures of himself running his hand over his budding erection and over his ass.  

Meanwhile, Ben was sending barely coherent responses.

— _shit thighs. Want them around me hed.—_

— _want you ride my face in thos—_

Hux had stopped reading them, just priding himself on the fact that he could reduce Ben to incoherency.  Maybe it was just difficult to masturbate and text at the same time.  The man was well spoken.  He chose to say crude things more often than not, but there was a real intelligence behind what he said. These messages were just nonsense though.

Kneeling in the water, Hux began to stroke himself through the panties.  He switched to video and recorded as he pleasured himself. He should’ve set up a video chat, but it was too late now.  He held the camera as steady as possible as he teased himself.

Panting softly, Hux slipped his fingers beneath the lace at squeezed himself.  He gasped, thrusting up into his own hand.

Hux imagined Ben watching this, locked in a hotel bathroom while several of his coworkers sat in the other room. There was something forbidden about it that made Hux even more aroused.

He drew it out, twisting and managing to catch himself teasing his ass through the wet lace.  Eventually, he let his cock poke out the top of the panties and rubbed himself for the camera once again.  He dipped into the water, still stroking himself but out of view, knowing that would drive Ben crazy.  He did that for as long as he could bear, knowing he was getting close.

— _Tease. My dick is harder than granite right now—_ Ben sent when Hux hadn’t sent him another picture for a while.

Hux was too busy keeping himself on the edge to care what Ben had to say.  He pictured Ben gripping his cock and teasing the piercings as he watched Hux play in the tub. Then his brain supplied the image of Ben in there with him all slick and soapy, as they fucked in the bubble bath.

That pushed Hux right over the edge, spilling over his wet belly and the delicate lace of the lingerie. He moaned loudly as he squeezed himself, watching as one last spurt dribbled out.  He continued to rub himself gently before scooping up a bit of water and washing himself.  

Mostly it just spread the come around, but he imagined Ben wouldn’t care much.

With a sigh, he finally sank into the water and turned the camera off.  Before he could come to his senses, he tried to send the video.  It was too large.

—I’m emailing you. What I’m sending can never see the light of day—

Hux opened a message and used the email Ben had given him.  He attached the video and sent it before second thoughts stopped him.

— _Did you just send me a video of you fondling yourself in the bathtub?—_

—Yes—

— _Shit, I didn’t think you had it in you.  Fuck, you look so hot.  I’m gonna nut so hard to this—_

Hux felt his breath catch a little at how excited Ben sounded. He sat in the hot water, running the jets he’d splurged on when he renovated the bathroom. He was feeling a strange sort of high from this.  It was something he’d never considered doing before...and Ben’s response was wonderful.

— _I want to bury my face in your ass cheeks—_

Ben wouldn’t get any awards for nuance, but his downright bluntness was quite flattering...even if Hux didn’t particularly want Ben to bury his face between his cheeks.

Hux relaxed, enjoying the bath until he realized Ben had abruptly stopped messaging him.  He wondered if Ben’s friends had had to use the bathroom or just barged in on him.  He waited for a bit, but eventually his nerves began to get to him.

—Did someone need to use the bathroom?—

He figured that was likely enough that it didn’t seem like he was fishing for compliments.  However when Ben didn’t respond at all, Hux began to worry.  What if Ben thought he was a weirdo for sending him that?  What if he was embarrassed for Hux because Hux had been so into it when, in fact, he’d looked like an idiot?

“Fuck,” Hux cursed, getting out of the tub while he was still dripping bubbles.  He pulled at the lingerie as he stalked across the tile floor, uncaring that he was getting water everywhere.  He walked out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, pulling down the soaked thong and then unfastening the garter belt.

Hux struggled to get the wet and clinging stockings off, cursing violently as he fought with them.  Millicent kept her distance, but watched him cautiously from one of her favorite perches.  Hux left the lingerie in a heap on the floor, unwilling to even look at it.  How could he have been so stupid?  So foolish and naive.  

He stalked over to the bed and fell onto the covers, still completely naked.  After only a few minutes, he got back up and picked the lingerie off the floor.  He hung it over the shower curtain to dry.  He certainly wasn’t going to deal with a wet carpet and possible mildew just because he was upset with Ben. He’d only be punishing himself...not that he didn’t think he deserved some punishment, just not a rug that smelled like old gym socks.

“I’m never dating again, Millicent. We’ll adopt a sister for you, and we’ll live alone forever. Maybe I’m just a cactus. Too much water isn’t good for me.  I do much better during a drought,” Hux muttered once he fell back into bed.  Millicent had been waiting for him this time. She knew what he needed.  Why would he need Ben when he had her?

“I’ll just have to see if one of my students knows how to send a virus that will make that video unopenable.  I’m sure one of them has to be up to know good,” Hux mumbled, going through a list of candidates in his mind.

Rey.  She was pretty brilliant with all things computers and programming related. She’d even helped program BB8 with last year’s seniors.  She could help him.

Hux fell asleep feeling embarrassed by his own behavior. This was it though.  No more Ben Solo or his magnificent if terrifying dick.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Sexting, inappropriate gifts, dirty talk, lingerie


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's been about a month, and to be honest I had no intention of updating this today, but inspiration actually struck and here we are.
> 
> Chapter warnings at the end

There was a cactus plant sitting on his desk waiting for him when he got to work the next day.  He really shouldn’t have woken up at midnight, finished his bottle of wine then texted Phasma that perhaps he was just a cactus and little to no sex was best for his continued survival.

The cactus even had a little name tag: Armitage Jr.

Hux was going to kill her.  Thank god, he hadn’t told her what he’d actually done.  He could only imagine the humiliation she’d have in store for him.  Good natured as it would be, Hux wasn’t ready to laugh about his miserable failure at dating just yet.

It wasn’t that Hux hadn’t done stupid things in the name of love before.  He’d gone to his ex fiancee’s ten year high school reunion with her.  That had been highly inadvisable, and the hangover afterward was the worst he'd ever experienced.  He’d agreed to shave his genital region for a college boyfriend, and the irritation it caused had been enough to make him reconsider grooming himself ever again especially when the fumbling blowjob he'd received hadn't been worth the trouble.  However, he’d never done anything like taking photos and videos of his naked body for a man he couldn’t even really call his boyfriend.

Hux decided that he just needed to put it all behind him and move on.  Ben didn’t seem like the sort to go posting other people’s dirty photos online.  Hux could see Ben posting his own—probably with some gross text to accompany it—but not someone else’s.  He’d just move on and hope for the best.  There were other fish in the sea and all that.

That lasted all of three periods before his phone started chirping in the middle of class again.  His students were merciless as they asked about who was messaging him, and no matter how Hux threatened them they seemed determined.

Hux was only saved by the grace of the bell system, or so he thought until he checked his phone.  He’d received nearly a dozen messages from Ben.

— _I’m so sorry.—_

— _Please let me explain—_

— _I didn’t sleep at all last night, worrying I’d pissed you off, but it wasn’t my fault...not entirely—_

— _That video.  It was so fucking hot.—_

— _I jerked off as I watched it. I don’t know how I lasted more than a second.  I was so turned on—_

Hux turned off the screen of his phone, blushing as he looked around his classroom to make sure no one was there.  He bit his lip, knowing he should wait until he was home to finish reading this.  It would serve Ben right to have to wait after what Hux had been through the night before.

Still, he turned the screen on again and went back to the messages.

— _I came so damn hard when you tried to clean yourself off and just spread your jizz around.  Fuck, I wasn’t expecting it, and I came all over my phone.  Seriously, the whole thing was covered in it.—_

— _I tried cleaning it off with toilet paper, but it was slippery and I dropped it in the toilet. My phone’s dead, and none of the knights would let me use theirs because they’re dicks.—_

— _So, I had to wait until stores opened this morning to buy a new phone, so I could apologize for not responding to you.  So, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean not to respond. That video was incredible, and I should’ve been prepared but you do crazy shit to me and I wasn’t—_

— _Will you let me make it up to you when I get back?—_

Hux bit his bottom lip, imagining how turned on Ben would’ve had to be to come all over his phone and then to drop it in the toilet.  The man was a disaster, ruled by his cock.

—It was humiliating— Hux texted in reply.  He didn’t know why he admitted that.  It only gave Ben more power, but Hux had sent it.  There was no taking it back now.

— _I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you.—_

Hux sighed.  He should just end things here.  This was as good an out as any, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

—What do you have in mind?—

— _How about mini golf? I know a place. It’ll be fun—_

Hux frowned.  That didn’t sound like grand apology he was hoping for.  Hux was thinking more along the lines of a fancy dinner followed by hours of tantric sex...not that he understood how that worked or anything.  Ben probably did though.

—Mini golf?—

— _Yeah, and dinner...and then apology.—_

At least, mini golf wasn’t Ben’s idea of an apology.  Hux shook his head, but his fingers typed out a confirmation.

— _Great.  I can’t wait to get home and see you.  These conventions are exhausting.  I always feel like I need to ice my hand for a week when we get done—_

—Why is that?— Hux jumped at the change of subject.

— _Between hours of sketching and the number of people I ink, my hands are a mess at the end.  I’m fairly lucky because I’m ambidextrous.  I can sketch with my left hand even if I prefer to ink with my right.  It gives me enough of a break that I’m not in serious pain, but it’s a long day—_

Hux hadn’t even thought about fatigue or cramping being a problem in Ben’s profession.  Honestly, Hux hadn’t put much thought into his profession at all because he didn’t actually see it as legitimate, but Ben put all of himself into it.  Hux felt a little ashamed of his opinion.

—Perhaps I could give you a massage or something when you return—

— _I don’t let anyone touch my hands.  I know what works for me, and I don’t need anyone else fucking it up—_

Hux was a little taken aback, but he tried to remind himself that he wouldn’t let anyone write his plans or grade his papers for him.  

—Mini golf then.—

— _Sorry, it’s not you. I just can’t risk my livelihood on an amateur massage—_

—That didn’t actually make it better, but I understand—

— _Whatever, I need to go.  I have sketches to finish before we open the booth, and I’m already behind because I had to buy a new phone. See you when I get back—_

Hux couldn’t help but feel like he’d done something wrong, but that made no sense since Ben was the one that had fucked up.  Hux went back to work, waiting for his next class as he was caught up on planning and grading. He checked over his appointments for the fair, and prepared for his next lesson.

He wasn’t expecting another message from Ben, but an hour later he received one.  It was just a picture of a fresh tattoo.  It was small, but beautiful.  It was a humming bird in a water color style, and while it wasn’t something Hux would expect from Ben it was no less stunning.

—Good work— he responded.

— _Thank you—_

Hux received periodic messages throughout the day and after work.  Some of the images were progress shots of tattoos, some were just sketches, and some were completely finished designs. Hux really wasn’t interested in tattooing, but he could admit that he was fascinated by Ben’s talent.

In the evening, Ben sent him another image.  This time, Hux could tell it was Ben’s own body.  It was the inside of his thigh, and the colorful ink took Hux’s breath away.

—The Orion Nebula?—

— _Yeah, how’s it look? Traded with my favorite artist for it—_

Hux studied the image.  The colors were so vibrant as they swirled in a cloud of colors and bursts of light. It was breathtaking.  

—It’s beautiful, but why?—

— _Why not? Gotta go. Have to fulfill my side of the deal—_

Hux didn’t respond, too focused on the image Kylo had sent him.  He couldn’t help feeling the turmoil twisting in his gut as he looked at the gorgeous ink spread across somewhere so intimate.

* * *

Hux had never been one for mini golf.  He understood how it worked.  He could make the proper calculations as to where to hit the ball and with how much force, but in practice it was a nightmare.  He tended to curse at the windmill every time it knocked his attempts at victory away.

Much like Hux’s relationships, it didn’t matter how much thought or calculation Hux put into it.  He was hardly ever successful at either of them. Ben was obnoxiously good at it.  

He stood beside Hux wearing a t-shirt that advertised his shop.  Hux wasn’t sure why Ben didn’t just ditch the shirt and get the studio’s info tattooed onto his chest.  For how tight the shirt fit him, it really wouldn’t have changed much.

“You’re putting too much thought into it,” Ben told him as Hux tried to calculate the exact moment he needed to hit the ball.

“Shut up, you’re breaking my concentration,” Hux told him.  

“I can help—”

“No, you can’t.  I could work for NASA if I so desired.  I can certainly play a round of minigolf,” Hux told him, holding his hand up to stop Ben from approaching.

“It really isn’t rocket science,” Ben told him.

“ _Exactly_ ,” Hux said, finally picking the perfect moment and sending the ball toward the windmill with a gentle tap.

It was knocked away just like the last three times.

“No!  It was perfect.  This game is rigged,” Hux complained.  Ben grabbed him around the waist before he could get too animated.

“That’s the fun part,” Ben told him, kissing his neck.

“Not in public.  My students could be here,” Hux insisted, pushing Ben away, but Ben held tight.

“They could walk into my shop too.  Relax for a minute, and let me help you make this shot.”

“I don’t need help from a tattoo artist.  I am the one with a working knowledge of physics and geometry,” Hux insisted even as Ben positioned him and stood behind him.

“I’m the one that got a hole in one every time except for the time you stuck your club between my legs to cheat,” Ben told him.

“I don’t cheat.”

“You were blatantly cheating.  The ten year old who caught you said as much,” Ben complained.

“I was merely evening the odds,” Hux retorted.

“Bullshit.  I’m still winning even though you cheat,” Ben said, grabbing Hux’s wrists and forcing him to swing the club.

The ball went flying...right through the hole in the base of the windmill.  

“Thank god.  Longest game of mini golf in history.  Those middle schoolers did the whole course in half the time.  Let’s go get tacos.  There’s this new place that opened up near me,” Ben said.

“I would have gotten that on my own,” Hux insisted.

“Yeah, but I need to eat now, or I’m going to get hangry,” Ben insisted, pulling Hux along.

“Next time, I get to choose the game.  I will best you at billiards or go karts,” Hux told him, completely ignoring the fact that they would have to go on another date to achieve either of those.

“Go karts?  You go go karting?” Ben asked as he handed over their clubs at the desk.

“I will have you know that I am ruthless at go karting.  I once made a twelve year old boy cry on his birthday, I trounced him so badly,” Hux told him.

“I’m not sure that’s something you’re supposed to admit with, what could be considered, pride in your voice,” Ben said, pulling Hux to him as they left the indoor mini golf place.  

“I will take just as much pride in trouncing you.  Perhaps more,” Hux said, practically bumping shoulders with Ben as they walked close to each other.

“Fine, it’s on,” Ben said, opening the passenger side door for Hux.

“I look forward to humiliating you,” Hux said, sliding into the bronco and pulling the door closed before Ben could do it for him.  He could see Ben shaking his head and smirking through the window.

Ben slid into the driver’s seat and started the car, but he didn’t pull out right away.  “The only reason I’m good at mini golf is because I worked there for a summer between seminary and apprenticing at the shop.  I think I’ve played that course like four hundred times.  I could hit those shots in my sleep.  I bring dates there to impress them, and get a bit frisky.  I didn’t think you’d refuse help or be so competitive,” Ben admitted.

Hux glared at him.  “I knew no one could be _that_ good at mini golf,” he said.

Ben laughed as he drove them across town to the Mexican restaurant he’d wanted to try.  Hux did not stop berating him the entire ride; however, as soon as they pulled into the lot, Hux had his reservations.

“This looks like the kind of place you go to get poisoned,” he said, looking around the half empty lot.  “If you want Mexican, there is a very delicious place near me…”

“Hangry,” Ben said, killing the engine and getting out.

“Just because you keep saying that doesn’t make it a real word,” Hux called after him as he too exited the car.  

“You work with teenagers.  How can you not know what hangry is?” Ben asked, walking backwards as though if he stopped moving Hux would take that as an invitation to leave.  He wasn’t wrong.

“If I learned what every bit of slang they used meant, then I would have no room left in my head for science,” Hux said, choosing not to tell Ben he was about to walk into a pole.  To his surprise Ben deftly sidestepped it without ever glancing over his shoulder.

Ben just smirked at him like he had a secret he wasn’t going to tell him.  “You must be such a fun teacher,” Ben teased him, turning finally and opening the door for Hux.

The place was not appetizing.  The menu was about as Mexican as sushi, which was to say not at all.  Sure everything was burrito this or taco that, but Hux truly wondered if the owner had ever had authentic Mexican cuisine or even been to Mexico.  

Ben didn’t seem to mind at all.  “I’ll have the queso and cheese dip to start,” he told their waiter as she stopped by.

“You do realize that queso is cheese, don’t you?” Hux asked.

“Yeah, so?”

“That item implied that it was either cheese and cheese dip _or_ they have no idea what queso is and have added something else to their dip,” Hux said.

“You don’t have to eat it,” Ben told him.

Hux didn’t.  He also didn’t ask what was in it. Hux ordered a salad and only picked at it while Ben dug into the two whole meals he’d ordered.  

“Were you not hungry?” Ben asked as he drove them back to his apartment.  It had not been Hux’s idea of apology dinner.  Hell, Hux would not have brought his worst enemy to that dive.

“I’m fine,” Hux said.

“You missed out.  That enchilada was delicious.  I don’t know what they put in that sauce, but it hit the spot,” Ben told him.

“I didn’t know either which is why I didn’t eat it,” Hux said recalling just how Ben had devoured it while offering Hux a taste.  

“You need to live a little,” Ben told him.

“I am perfectly happy living just the way I am,” Hux told him, staring out the window.

“Are you really?”

Hux snapped his head in Ben’s direction so fast that he was fairly certain he had given himself whiplash.  “Yes, I am happy with my life, Ben.  It may not be as exotic as being a tattoo artist, and I may not pride myself in being kicked out of a religious order, but I like my life.  I have been awarded educator of the year three times.  I run the state’s most prestigious science fair.  I happen to like what I do, and I don’t care if I impress you or anyone else.  I am respected by my peers, and that is all that matters,” Hux told him sharply.

“Shit,” Ben said, swerving to the side of the road.

“What’s wrong?” Hux asked, gripping the edge of the seat as Ben braked hard.

“My stomach,” Ben groaned.

“You can’t be serious,” Hux retorted.

“Shut up, and take the wheel, and use some of that go kart aggression preferably,” Ben said, practically throwing himself into the back.

“You are not shitting in this car while I drive,” Hux said, taking the wheel.

“I fucking hope not because I don’t have anything to shit in.  Just get me home,” Ben shouted at him.

“I told you Pepe’s Taco World was a mistake,” Hux ranted as he pulled back onto the road.  “Was the possibility of being hangry worth this?” he asked.

All he received in return was a pathetic sounding moan.  Hux rolled his eyes. He didn’t speed back to Ben’s.  In fact, he drove sensibly.  He could practically feel Ben’s eyes boring into the back of his head as he carefully backed into Ben’s usual parking spot.

“I don’t think I can make it upstairs,” Ben told him as he killed the engine.

“You will make it up to your apartment, and you will think about your mistakes as you do it.  I did not suffer through that objectively awful meal just to watch you shit yourself in the parking garage or on the stairs.  You think you’re a monster when you’re hangry?  You haven’t seen anything,” Hux told him, walking around the back of the car and opening it for Ben.

Ben glared at him.  “I’m not bringing you a change of pants,” Hux told him.

“Fuck,” Ben said, sliding out of the back of the car and sprinting for the stairs.  Hux shook his head.  He’d forgotten to get the keys from Hux.

Hux closed the bronco up and followed Ben up to the apartment.  He really wasn’t surprised to see the door wide open.  Why would Ben bother with locks?

Hux showed himself in and took a seat on the couch.  “So much for third date means sex,” he said to himself as he turned on the television.

Ben was in the bathroom for nearly twenty minutes.  Hux kept the volume on the television loud enough that he wasn’t forced to hear any noises coming from the bathroom, but he was actually starting to feel bad when Ben finally emerged.

“Can we write Pepe’s off the list?” he asked as Ben pulled a water bottle out of the fridge.  

“I don’t think I’m ever eating again,” Ben said, walking over to the couch and lying across it.  He put his head in Hux’s lap without asking, but Hux didn’t protest.  In fact, his fingers found their way in Ben’s hair, stroking the sweaty strands back from his face.

“Are you alright?” Hux asked as Ben closed his eyes and turned into Hux’s touch.

“Ask me again in a little while.  The jury’s still out,” Ben told him.  

“Can I do anything for you?”

“You mean like another motivational speech about me shitting myself on the stairs?  No, I think I’m good without,” Ben retorted.

Hux snorted.  “I meant a massage or something more personal,” Hux told him.

“No, I’m fine like this, thanks,” Ben told him, curling into the fetal position and pressing his face into Hux’s lap.

Hux frowned, but he continued to run his fingers through Ben’s hair.  After a while Ben began to snore, and Hux sighed.  He flipped through the channels as he let Ben rest.  Eventually, he began to nod off as well.

He awoke to a pair of lips sucking gently at his neck, and Ben’s weight pressing down in his lap.  Hux lifted his arms to stroke Ben’s back as Ben continued to kiss him.

“How are you feeling?” Hux asked.

“Better.  I had a surprise for you in my room...you know...before Pepe’s revenge,” Ben said, cupping Hux’s face as he ran his tongue along Hux’s jaw.

“What kind of surprise?”

“The kind that makes up for choking you then nearly blinding you with my jizz and then destroying my own phone while you sent me dirty pictures,” Ben said, letting his hands trail down Hux’s chest to work open the buttons on his shirt.

“That sounds like a very special surprise,” Hux retorted.

“Picked it up while I was at the expo.  Nothing to do with tattoos.  I know your opinion on those,” Ben said, bumping his nose against Hux’s cheek playfully.

“I suppose we should go see with that surprise is,” Hux said, kissing Ben softly on the lips.

“Come,” Ben said, getting up and offering his hand to Hux.

Ben guided him into the bedroom which didn’t look any different from last time except for several lengths of soft looking rope displayed on the bed.  

“You want to tie me up?” Hux asked.

“Yeah, but not like to hurt you. Shibari or some shit,” Ben said, but Hux could tell that he was just playing dumb to save face.

“I wasn’t assuming that was your plan, but thank you for putting that in my head,” Hux told him.

“I just...was thinking maybe I could tie you to the bed and suck your dick or maybe play with your ass,” Ben told him.

“And then drown me in come or smother me with a pillow?” Hux asked.

“I just want to get you off.  You’ve gotten me off a bunch, and even though I will never not be horrified by my jizz shooting out your nose or shooting you in the eye, it was nice,” Ben said.

“You won’t be getting off on me?  And you just want to blow me?”

“And maybe play with your ass,” Ben added again.

“What does that mean?” Hux asked.

“You know, like stick my tongue in it, maybe a finger or two?”

“Why would you want to put your tongue in my...why would you want your mouth…

“Because it feels good?”

“It’s dirty.”

“You’ve really never had a tongue in you ass?”

“No.  Why should I have?  Do you know the diseases you could get from ingesting fecal matter?”

“No, and frankly I don’t want to, but I’m telling you that it feels really good.”

“I cannot imagine it would be anywhere near as pleasurable on your end,” Hux said, trying not to think of Kylo pressing that tongue piercing to his ass.  He felt his body shudder, partly at the idea that it might feel good and partly at how taboo it sounded.  It wasn’t like Hux hadn’t cleaned himself _very_ thoroughly before their date.  It was their third, after all.  Phasma had been sure to remind him of those silly high school sayings that claimed that third dates were for penetrative sex.  Hux didn’t buy into any of that nonsense...but he wasn’t about to be caught unprepared for anything.

“I enjoy it,” Ben said, shrugging.

“You also enjoy questionable food establishments, piercing your own penis, and getting tattoos which I am told is quite painful.  I am not entirely certain that you’re definition of enjoyable is in line with the rest of the world’s.”

“Well, there’s a really easy way to find out,” Ben told him, smirking at him.

Hux took an unsteady breath. Objectively, he knew it was a common practice, but he’d never tried it himself. Surely, it had to be enjoyable if people regularly took part in it.  Though none of his previous boyfriends, or any of his previous partners, had ever seemed so inclined.

“Fine...You may...play with my ass if you so desire...for science, and if I say stop…”

“I’ll stop, don’t worry.  You’re going to like this,” Ben said, wrapping his hands around Hux’s hips and kissing him.  Hux let Ben strip him slowly.  He shuddered as Ben ran his fingers over his bare chest, kissing the path down over his stomach until Ben knelt before him.

Ben unbuckled his belt then unbuttoned Hux’s pants with his mouth.  Hux gasped as Ben mouthed at his cock through his pants.  Hux ran his fingers through Ben’s hair as Ben pulled his pants down.

Ben smiled up at him as he looked at the galaxy panties Hux was wearing.  “They look really good on you,” Ben told him, nuzzling against the soft fabric.

Hux sighed, enjoying the way Ben stroked him through the panties.  He didn’t protest as Ben rose and guided him to the bed.  

Ben laid Hux out, kissing over his body as he positioned him against the pillows.  He carefully brought the rope around Hux’s body. He wrapped around him, carefully twisting it then bringing it back around him. He gingerly created a web around Hux’s torso.  

Hux could admit that the rope around him felt secure and even safe. However, he wasn’t entirely convinced that Ben knew what he was doing.  He was slow and methodical about how he tied Hux, and the way he twisted to rope was just a little too tentative—like he’d read about this but had no practical experience.  Hux just hoped he wouldn’t be stuck in this contraption forever.

“How does that feel?” Ben asked, bringing the long length of rope up to Hux’s arms to secure him to the headboard.  It wasn’t right.  The way Ben planned to tie him wouldn’t work at all.

“No, you have to bring it under,” Hux coached him.

“I know what I’m doing,” Ben insisted, running his fingers through his hair to get it out of his face.

“Just follow the directions,” Hux told him.  

Ben groaned, but he followed Hux’s directions as Hux walked him through the proper knotting technique.  “So you’ve done this before?” Ben asked, studying his work as Hux laid there secured to the bed and completely at Ben’s mercy.

“I am very rarely the one being tied up,” Hux told him.

“Yeah, you seem like a bit of a control freak,” Ben said, moving down to hold Hux’s hips.

“I will pretend you didn’t say that,” Hux told him, believing he was being very kind to do so.

Ben snorted and eased Hux’s panties down his legs.  He pressed his lips to Hux’s inner thighs once he separated Hux’s legs.  He carefully tied Hux’s legs to hold them wide open, and Hux was a little surprised by how he was essentially on display for Ben.

Ben kissed over his thighs and abdomen before wrapping his fingers around Hux’s cock.  He was careful of Hux’s foreskin as he pressed his lips to the head.  

Hux moaned softly as Ben took him into his mouth and sucked gently.  “Yes, a little harder,” Hux told him, unable to keep his orders to himself.

Ben glanced up at him as he followed Hux’s command and sucked a little harder.  Hux bucked, moaning and arching his back.  It felt perfect, and he told Ben so.

Hux gripped the rope around his wrists to give himself leverage to try to thrust further into Ben’s mouth, and Ben accommodated the silent plea.  He took Hux down to the root and stroked Hux’s balls with his hand as he did so.

“Yes,” Hux gasped, shaking as his whole body felt alive.  The ropes pulled and stretched with each movement Hux made, and it enhanced every sensation. The friction against his skin was just enough to feel like he was being held.

Ben pulled back and began to stroke Hux with his hand as he moved his mouth to Hux’s testicles.  He cradled them gently in his mouth and sucked at them with care.

Hux moaned loudly, unable to keep still because of how wonderful it felt.

Ben didn’t spend too much time on them before moving back, and Hux jolted as Ben pressed his tongue to his ass.  It was the combination of wet and a strange texture that left Hux writhing, not that he could go far with the way he was tied.

“Please,” Hux said, trying to close his thighs around Ben’s head, but it was no use.  The ropes held, and Hux had to wait for Ben to comply with the vague request.

Hux didn’t hold back his cry when Ben pressed his tongue past the muscle and inside.  Hux panted as the combination of the penetration and Ben’s hand left him shaking.  The piercing stimulated his ass as it caught on his rim.  It was a powerful sensation that left Hux dizzy.

Ben pressed his tongue in and out of Hux, nipping his thighs in between sometimes. Hux truly wasn’t sure if he liked it or not.  It was odd knowing that Ben’s mouth was on him there, and the not quite firm enough pressure of Ben’s tongue was strange.  Hux was used to his own slender but unyielding fingers. Even if it didn’t feel bad, it felt wrong.  Not even the tease of the piercing could distract Hux from overthinking the act.

“A finger,” Hux said, wiggling his hips.  Ben obliged, sucking on his index finger before circling it around Hux’s already messy hole.  

It felt thick as Ben pressed it in just a little, and it was enough to leave Hux breathless.  It was a little uncomfortable as Ben pressed it further since there wasn’t much to ease its passage, but Ben had his lips around the head of Hux’s cock again and Hux couldn’t really differentiate good from strange.

Hux cried out as Ben crooked his finger before dragging it back slowly.  Hux’s body shook and tightened before he spilled into Ben’s mouth without so much as a warning.  Hux moaned as he felt the aftershocks roll through his whole body as he clenched down on the digit.

Ben laughed softly as he wiped as his mouth and sat up.  He crawled over Hux and kissed him with Hux’s come still a fresh taste in his mouth.  It wasn’t exactly sexy, but Hux was too punch drunk to care.  He kissed Ben deeply and bucked his hips against Ben’s even though he was quite sensitive.

“I really enjoyed that, did you?” Ben asked, rolling his clothed hips against Hux’s.

“I did,” Hux told him.  He was aware of his whole body as Ben pressed against him.  His ass was a little tender from Ben’s finger, but that only seemed to heighten the afterglow he was feeling.

“You mind if I hump you like this?  I’m going to have blue balls if I don’t get off.  I didn’t realize how much this was going to turn me on,” Ben admitted.  He looked sheepish, like he really hadn’t intended to get off.

“Undo my legs, so I can wrap them around you,” Hux said, and Ben complied.  

“Fuck,” Ben sighed as Hux wrapped his bare legs around his hips and pulled Ben flush against him.  “I really love your legs,” Ben said, wrapping an arm under Hux and pulling him closer.  He rocked against Hux’s body, moaning when Hux squeezed him with his thighs.  He ran his hand over Hux’s thigh and down to his calf, cursing under his breath.

Ben came with a grunt and thankfully into his own underwear.  “I’d be embarrassed if I that wasn’t awesome,” Ben said, collapsing onto Hux’s chest and panting as he recovered from his own orgasm.

Hux let him rest like that for a bit.  “You kissed me...after sticking your tongue in my ass,” Hux said once his brain finally caught up.”

“It was your ass.  It’s not like I went and shoved my tongue in someone else’s ass and then kissed you…”

“I need to rinse my mouth.”  Right as Hux was considering telling Ben to release him, Ben’s stomach made an uncomfortably loud noise.  They both looked at each other with wide eyes as the noise didn’t seem to stop.

Ben jolted then jumped off the bed, cursing loudly as he bolted from the room.  Hux blinked, watching the doorway where Ben had disappeared.  After a moment, he heard what he presumed to be the bathroom door slam shut.

“Of course, just run off and leave me tied to the damn bed,” Hux complained loudly, though he doubt Ben heard him.  Even if he could, he was in no position to come back and help Hux.

Hux struggled with the knots, frustrated with himself for not immediately asking to be let free.  It took at least ten minutes of fumbling to get the knot holding his wrists in place undone. Thankfully, he’d instructed Ben to make a knot he could actually undo himself. He could only imagine what would’ve happened if he’d left Ben to make any old knot he wanted.

Rubbing his wrists as he sat there, Hux considered his options.  He could check on Ben, maybe bring him some water or make him some tea.  He could just go to sleep and avoid the whole thing, or he could leave.

Hux was halfway out the door with his clothes just barely on—his shirt was unevenly buttoned and his panties were in his pocket—when a wave of what an ordinary person would’ve recognized as guilt hit him.  Hux stepped back into the apartment and went into the kitchen.  

He found a saucepan and filled it halfway with water before digging through Ben’s fridge.  By some miracle, the man had ginger root in there.  Hux did not let himself question what for as he peeled it and chopped it into pieces before dropping it into the water to boil.

“Join Tinder, Hux, what could possibly go wrong?” Hux muttered as he found a top for the pot.  He walked to the bathroom, and he knocked on the door.  “Are you alive?” he called.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” Ben replied, sounding as exhausted as Hux felt.

“No need to hurry on my account. I just want to make sure I don’t have a dead body on my hands.  You’re a bit heavy to move easily.”

“Well I’m lighter than I was before,” Ben retorted.

“Charming. I’m making making ginger tea to help settle your stomach,” Hux said, leaning against the doorjamb.  

The door opened to reveal Ben.  He turned back to the sink and washed his hands before leaning against it for support.  “I don’t think my stomach was ready to tackle you jizz so soon after that dinner,” Ben admitted.

“It would seem not,” Hux agreed gravely.

“I guess we’re about even,” Ben said, stepping out of the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Hux snorted, guiding Ben back to the couch.  Ben carefully sat and drank the ginger infusion that Hux had made for him, and fell asleep with the mug still in his hand.  Hux took the mug and guided Ben down to lie on the couch.

Once again, he considered leaving, but he collected a pillow and blanket from the bed and laid down on the floor where Ben had slept the first night.  He promised himself he’d tell Ben this wasn’t going to work out in the morning before he left for work.  That was a good plan.  He could do it in person and not waste either of their time anymore.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: amateur shibari, bathroom humor, food poisoning, rimming (not the person who gets food poisoning)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one week, what is this madness? Thanks everyone who left awesome comments. 
> 
> Warnings at the end.

Hux woke to the sound of a muffled groan coming from just above him.  He opened his eyes to see Ben on the couch, leg dangling off the side and one hand jammed into his jeans.  He hadn’t seemed to notice Hux yet, and Hux told himself he should make his presence known, but Ben groaned again and Hux froze.

His own body responded to the timber of that sound, and Hux watched through half lidded eyes as Ben shoved his pants down just enough to free his cock.  His one arm crossed over his face to cover his eyes as he began stroking himself punishingly.  

Hux was so taken by the way Ben’s fingers wrapped around his cock, that he missed the first couple words that spilled from Ben’s lips.

“...useless, filthy...no one could love you,” Ben muttered, squeezing the head of his cock before picking up the pace again.

Hux’s mouth opened in surprise or maybe to say something, but Ben kept mumbling vile things either about his imagined partner or himself.

“...need to be punished…”

Hux sat up and touched Ben’s arm before he could go any further.  Ben jolted, sitting upright and nearly vaulting over the back of the couch...which would not have worked out well as it was against a wall.

“Shit, what the fuck are you doing here?” Ben shouted, shoving his cock back in his pants and buttoning them back up.

“You were sick, and I didn’t want to leave…”

“Well I’m fine now, so you can go,” Ben told him, jumping off the couch and storming out of the room and down the hall to his bedroom.

Hux sat there in confusion.  Cursing to himself, he got up and went to collect his things.  He should’ve just left when he’d intended to the night before.  Ben wasn’t a child.  He could handle his own damn stomachaches, especially ones he deserved.

Hux pulled on his coat while attempting to text Phasma that this dating thing had been her worst idea since suggesting dodgeball as a professional development exercise.  However, before he could get to the door, the door to Ben’s room burst open, and Ben came jogging down the hall.

“Don’t go, I’ll make coffee.  You need coffee,” Ben said, going right into the kitchen like Hux was obviously going to stay.

“I’ll pick it up on the way,” Hux called, but he heard cabinets opening and slamming and a grinder going within seconds.  

Hux frowned, but slowly walked back to the kitchen.  Ben was standing by the counter, pouring far too much coffee grinds into a filter and jamming it into a brand new coffee maker.  He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and he’d swapped his jeans out for some tight legging like pants that hid nothing.  Hux tried not to stare at his ass.

“What happened to the single serve?” Hux asked, still wearing his coat.  He’d yet to decide if he was going to bolt.

“This makes more sense if it’s not just me here,” Ben said, shrugging those massive shoulders of his, which made his back muscles ripple.

“So, you went out and bought a coffee maker because I spent the night?” Hux asked.

“No.  I had this thing in the closet.  I just never think to take it out when it’s just me,” Ben retorted.  It would’ve been a convincing lie if the box the thing had come in wasn’t sitting next to the recyclables can looking freshly purchased.

Hux wasn’t sure if he was touched or disgusted.

“How are you feeling?” Hux asked, changing the subject because it really wasn’t worth arguing over the purchase of a coffee maker.  

“I’m fine.  You didn’t have to sleep on the floor last night,” he said, flipping the switch on the coffee maker once he’d added water to it. Hux was a little impressed that he knew exactly how the thing worked since he’d probably never used it before.

“I didn’t mind,” Hux told him.  He did mind.  His back was not pleased with him, and he needed to stop home to feed Millicent before work.  Phasma could do it for him, but he didn’t want her sneaking Millie any more treats.  It was hard enough to keep Millicent trim and healthy without Phasma’s bad influence.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” Ben added.

Hux remained quiet.  He wasn’t certain what to say.  Was Ben sorry for masturbating while spouting cruel things, or was he sorry for lashing out?  Hux didn’t know, and he wasn’t entirely sure it mattered.

Ben groaned dramatically turning and leaning back against the counter.  “Masturbation was frowned upon...well, so was homosexuality...and about nine-tenths of my personality to be entirely honest.”

“You don’t need to explain yourself.  You thought you were alone in your own home,” Hux said, not sure he really wanted to know Ben’s reasons.  He knew exactly the kind of wretched opinions people could foster.

“I was in a boarding school for a while. All very religious. If they caught us...they’d tell us we were going to hell, and we were filthy.  It just became part of the ritual,” Ben told him.  “It kinda started as a joke.  If my roommate caught me or visa versa, we’d tell each other we were dirty and going to burn...and it just sort of progressed from there.”

“For masturbating?”

Ben nodded. “We weren't dumb enough to get caught having sex. Though one time...shit I almost forgot...when I was like seventeen and still lanky, I could suck my own dick. Sister Agnes caught me one time, and she actually ended up in the hospital because she started having palpitations. She had always looked like she was sucking on a lemon, but imagine a very shocked skeleton in a habit catching you fuckin' your own mouth. The paramedics could hardly keep a straight face when I had to explain what had happened. I think I cleaned every toilet in the school for weeks because of that. For the rest of high school, she made a sign of the cross and asked God to cast out Satan when she saw me.”

Hux blinked at him several times.  “That is vile,” he said.

“Sorry.  I know it’s weird. It’s not like I actually believe it or anything.  I’ve tried getting myself off without—”

“Not you, their practices.  I like to keep the fear of God in my students, but I would never revert to corporal or psychological punishment.  It is a vile practice, and completely reprehensible,” Hux told him.

Ben shrugged.  

“And where were your parents?” Hux asked.

“They both had jobs that were pretty important.  They thought religion would keep me in line. Clearly, they underestimated their son's sex drive and flexibility,” Ben said.

“I don’t know what to say,” Hux told him.

“You don’t need to say anything.  I just didn’t want you to think...well I don’t know what I wanted you to think, because that’s probably just as fucked up as anything you might have been thinking.  I guess, thanks for staying the night, sorry you had to see me call myself a filthy animal while jackin’ it this morning,” Ben said.  He looked calm, confident as he spoke.  

It led Hux to believe he wasn’t so much ashamed of his actions earlier as he was spooked by Hux’s presence.  By the way he looked now, he seemed like he would’ve done it anyway if he’d known Hux was still sleeping next to him.  Maybe he would’ve even asked Hux to join in and call him names like his old roommate had. It really wouldn’t have been any worse than being left tied to the bed or nearly drowned in ejaculate.

“I’m sorry that I surprised you,” Hux said.

“Yeah, I really wasn’t expecting you to stay after last night.  First dinner, then the ride home and what followed, and then leaving you tied up so I wouldn’t shit myself in front of you.  I definitely thought you’d be long gone by now,” Ben said, shrugging again like it was an ordinary thing.  

“Yes, I will admit I would’ve thought as much as well,” Hux said.

“Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

It was strange sitting in the kitchen with Ben like the night before or even the morning had never happened.  Ben poured them both coffee and sat with Hux at the small table in the corner of the room.  If Hux was more tactile than usual, it certainly wasn’t because he wanted Ben to feel cared for and accepted.  That was not Hux’s style at all.  Hux just didn’t see the point of dating a man with such a phenomenal body if he wasn’t going to touch it when he could.

Ben didn’t seem to mind that Hux’s fingers seemed dead set on massaging the back of his neck as he sipped his coffee.  He made no comment when Hux moved them up to scratch at his scalp, but he did lean into the touch.

“How is the science fair coming along?” Ben asked as Hux texted Phasma to stop in and feed Millicent.

“It’s exhausting, but worth it.  Trying to find competent judges that are also unbiased is a nightmare, but it’s good for the students to get opinions other than just their teachers.  I’m invested in their success, and as much as I try to distance myself, I still take pride in what they do,” Hux told him, tapping impatiently on the table as he waited for Phasma’s reply.

“Do you have people to help you?” Ben asked, seemingly unbothered by Hux’s sudden distraction.

“Of course, but if I want it done to my standard, then it’s better I do it myself.  All of the science teachers mentor their own students...though many come to me for input as well,” Hux admitted, finally getting a response in the affirmative.

“How many kids is that?”

Hux only realized that Ben had begun returning the touches while he was distracted by his phone.  Ben’s hand was rubbing Hux’s thigh gently, sending tingles through Hux’s body.  It would do no good to get himself aroused before work...even if Ben’s body was incredibly tempting in its current state.

“Oh a few hundred,” Hux said, finishing his cup of coffee.  Before he could get up, Ben took his mug and refilled it.  When he placed it in front of Hux, he paused.  He stood behind Hux and began to rub his shoulders.

Hux groaned, feeling some of the tension release as Ben worked the muscles.  “You feel like you’re made of stone,” Ben noted.  “I’d be afraid to tattoo you if you laid down in my chair,” he added.

“Why?”

“You’re already so tense.  You get hit with the needle and how much more tense can you get before your muscles spasm?” Ben told him.  He was doing an admirable job of relieving that tension as he spoke.

“I have a very high pain tolerance,” Hux said though even he realized that wasn’t what Ben was getting at.

“You need a massage or something,” Ben said, not bothering to touch Hux’s comment with a ten foot pole.

“I don’t exactly have time to waste on massages,” Hux retorted, melting under Ben’s strong fingers.

“I could always give you one,” Ben told him.

“How did I know this was a ploy?”

“I’m not the stone statue masquerading as a high school science teacher,” Ben teased him.

“Your jokes are not funny.  I need to get to work,” Hux said.  

“I need to workout before I head to the shop,” Ben said as though Hux had asked.

“Good luck with that, and perhaps avoid getting lunch at Pepe’s,” Hux said, standing up and feeling almost lightheaded because of how loose his neck and shoulders felt.

“Your jokes are worse than mine,” Ben told him, pulling Hux to him and stealing a kiss.

“Your breath is vile,” Hux said in disgust.

“Mmm, say it again,” Ben said in a seductive rumble, grabbing his crotch and making a show of squeezing his cock.

“That is disgusting,” Hux said, but he could’ve kicked himself.  “Stop that,” he chided when Ben made an exaggerated moan.

“Yeah, just like that.  Tell me I’m wretched,” Ben teased him.  His voice was doing things to Hux, and Hux needed to get out of there before he agreed to anything Ben asked for.

“I will not.  You’ll have to do it yourself,” Hux said, picking up his phone and marching toward the door.

“You forgot your coffee,” Ben called after him.

“I don’t have a thermos,” Hux said, stopping next to the door.

Ben walked out of the kitchen, holding the entire pot of coffee in his hand.  Hux bit his lip as he watched Ben’s hips sway as he sauntered.  His tattoos almost seemed to come to life with the natural movement of his body.

“Take the pot.  Just bring it back when you come over, or it’ll be back to the Keurig,” Ben told him, pushing the pot into Hux’s hands and kissing him on the cheek.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” Hux asked, but Ben was already walking away.

Hux cursed the entire way to school as he was forced to drive like an octogenarian in order not to spill the pot of coffee on his passenger seat.  He’d even had to strap it in to prevent sliding.  

“I need to stop seeing that man before I go as crazy as he is,” Hux complained, crawling into his parking spot to prevent sloshing.  

* * *

“So, you spent the night at his place?” Phasma probed as she sat down beside Hux on the bleachers.  

Hux had the misfortune of needing to visit the gym to take measurements for the science fair.  Everything needed to be in the right space to showcase it, so Hux always came in and started measuring and planning weeks in advance.  Last year’s measurements wouldn’t do.  The fair was always changing.

This had the unfortunate side effect of being where he was most likely to run into Phasma, and her unrelenting interest in his personal life.

“It is none of your business where I spent last evening,” He told her.

“It is when you text me at six in the morning, begging me to feed your cat,” she retorted.

“I didn’t beg.”

“If you text me before seven, it’s automatically begging,” she said, blowing her whistle and smiling as the basketball time switched drills smoothly.

“I need to break things off with Ben,” Hux told her.

“You say that daily, but you haven’t yet.  Either do it, or stop telling me you have to.  What did he do this time, open a door for you?” she asked.

Hux resented the remark, but he could admit that he’d taken several kind gestures the wrong way in his day.

“Last night was a disaster.  He forced me to play miniature golf, then he insisted upon going to this atrocious restaurant called Pepe’s…”

“Not Pepe’s Taco World,” she said, sounding horrified.

“The one and only...hopefully.”

“You didn’t eat the food did you?” She asked.

“I picked at a salad, but Ben had cheese and queso, and two meals.”

“Oh that poor thing...wait, what do they think queso is?” Phasma asked.

“I don’t want to know.  Ben didn’t make it home.”

“He died?  Why do you need to break up with him if he’s dead?” Phasma asked as though it was actually a possibility.

“His stomach protested halfway home, and I was forced to drive his awful car while he moaned and groaned in the back seat.”

“That is a bad date,” she admitted.

“Oh, that is only the beginning.  He left me in his apartment for at least twenty minutes while he was sick in the bathroom.  Then he fell asleep on me.  When he woke up, he decided sex was still on the table…”

“No!”  Several of the basketball players froze at Phasma’s outburst, but she waved them off.  “Sorry girls, not you.  Looking great!”

“Not what you are thinking...thankfully,” Hux said.  “He...he wanted to tie me to the bed and give me apology fellatio...but he... _swallowed_ , and his stomach wasn’t ready for anything, and he bolted to the bathroom before releasing me.”

Phasma roared with laughter, and Hux sighed.  

“He left you tied to the bed,” she repeated, tears streaming from her eyes.

“I was forced to struggle out of my bindings, and I was about to sneak out while he continued to be sick…”

“But you stayed to make sure he was alright.  Honestly Hux, I think that is the most emotionally mature thing you’ve ever done.  I’m proud of you.  I knew this dating thing would be good for you.”

“I wasn’t finished,” Hux said, adjusting his glasses.  He still hadn’t been able to wear contacts the whole day since getting hit in the eye.  Just another strike against Ben.

“There can’t possibly be more.”

“But there is,” Hux said, beginning to tell her about what had happened that morning.  

By the end, Phasma was holding her sides as she laughed at him.  “I’m so glad I gave Millicent a treat this morning.  She deserves it for facilitating this.  I haven’t laughed this hard or this often in years,” she said.

“I need to get rid of him,” Hux said, ignoring her words.

“I’m not going to say that you don’t, but what made you stay last night, Armitage?  You could’ve walked out of that apartment and never looked back, and no one would’ve blamed you.  You stayed even if begrudgingly.  Why’d you stay?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Hux admitted.

“Well, think about it before you dump him.  That’s all I’m saying.”

Hux scowled but he didn’t argue.  There was no point really.  “Can your girls help me measure now that you’ve gotten your entertainment from me?” Hux asked.

Phasma smiled and blew her whistle before waving the team over.  “Mr. Hux needs some help, so listen to him,” she ordered them.  The girls’ attention shifted to Hux, and he quickly explained what he needed to do in order to have a sense of space for the fair.  It went surprisingly smoothly, considering the shambles every other part of his day had been.

* * *

— _I don’t really get much time off on weekends, but I was thinking about taking an evening off this weekend to see that movie about the aliens coming to earth with the hot redhead in it.  Would you be interested in seeing it?—_

Hux had been staring at the message for close to an hour.  He did want to see that movie.  In fact, he’d been wanting to see it since it came out but couldn’t justify going to the movies when there were things to get done.  Now, Ben was asking him to go...but Hux had sworn he wouldn’t respond to Ben’s messages anymore.

—What time were you considering?— Hux finally asked, giving in and telling himself it was the movie not the man that made him do it.  Phasma’s words about figuring out why he’d stayed kept bugging him.

— _Not too late, I think it’s playing a little after six. We could have dinner before or after—_

Hux contemplated the offer more.  If they were watching a movie then it couldn’t possibly be awkward.  All they had to do was sit and stare at the screen.  If the movie was bad, they would have something to talk about after.  It was safe as far as dates went, and Hux wondered why they hadn’t done it sooner.  It was certainly better than mini golf.

—That works with my schedule. Would you like me to meet you are your studio?—

— _That’d be perfect.  I’ve got a new design I wanted to show you—_

Hux didn’t know why Ben was so insistent about showing Hux his designs, but Hux went along with it.  Ben tended to get maudlin when he spoke about his designs, and Hux just couldn’t understand why he wanted to talk about it when it just seemed to make him upset.

* * *

Hux showed up at the shop on Saturday afternoon with plenty of time before the showing.  He parked his car next to Ben’s truck, and he quickly checked himself in the overhead mirror before stepping out of the car.

The weather was actually rather warm for February, and Hux had opted for casual instead of wearing his heavy winter coat.  He’d let Phasma suggest his only pair of blue jeans which were dark wash and old and worn enough that they were soft.  He wore a cardigan over a stupid t-shirt she’d bought him for Christmas two years ago.  The shirt read: scientists do it in lab coats.  He loathed it, but she insisted the dark gray would bring out his eyes.  Hux thought it just made his hair look redder.

Smoothing his sweater down, Hux walked across the lot to the tattoo shop.  He pulled the door open, and he immediately felt as though he’d stepped into a circus.

There was someone sobbing somewhere in the shop, but Hux couldn’t see them.  On the sofa in the waiting area were two college age girls, huddled close and looking a little pale.  He assumed one of their group was the one sobbing.  Standing by the large front window was a man with as much skin covered in ink as Ben.  He wore a shirt with the sleeves torn off, and he was attempting to reassure the girls that it didn’t hurt _that_ much.

There was another woman sprawled over an armchair adjacent to the sofa.  She looked unimpressed with everything.  Her arms were covered in vibrantly colored designs, and she wore a loose fitting t-shirt and painted on jeans.

Hux felt like a fish out of water, especially when all eyes turned to him.  He squared his shoulders, and didn’t show his discomfort as he walked to the counter where a young looking man stood.  He had half of his head shaved and one complete sleeve of tattoos.  He also had a few peeking up over the collar of his shop t-shirt.

“Is Ben here?” Hux asked him.  He didn’t know why he felt like a teenage boy asking his date’s father if they were home.

“Who’s Ben?  Are you sure you’re in the right place?” the man asked, giving Hux a once over.  He didn’t look impressed by what he saw. For the first time, Hux realized that to Ben’s friends Hux probably wasn’t in his league.  It was strange being faced with a mirror for once.  Just as Hux looked down on Ben’s profession, Ben’s friends clearly saw him as a superstar in the tattooing field.  Hux didn’t deserve to date their god.

Before Hux could open his mouth to retort, one of the men he’d met at the burger place came out of the employee area.  “Whoa, cool it, Fresh Meat.  That’s Kylo’s friend,” the man said, clapping the younger man on the back.  Hux was brought back reality as he realized not all of Ben’s friends loathed him on sight, or maybe they were just better at hiding it.

“You can’t be serious,” the man deadpanned, looking Hux over again.  “Why did he ask for Ben then?”

“Kid, sometimes you rival the brick facade outside,” the man told him.  “Ben is Kylo’s name.”

The younger man looked confused, and Hux almost pitied him.  

“Sorry about that.  Kylo’s just finishing up with something.  He’ll be out shortly.  You want coffee?”

“Did he tell you to offer me coffee?” Hux asked, mildly amused.  

“He may have mentioned an unhealthy dependence.”

“Coffee would be fine,” Hux said, looking around for a place to wait.  There weren’t a whole lot of options, and Hux ended up shoehorning himself into the corner beside the front desk.  The others in the shop didn’t stop looking at him like he didn’t belong, neither did the apprentice for that matter.  Hux assumed he gave off the impression that he certainly was not here to get a tattoo.

Unfortunately, not long after the apprentice handed him a paper cup of black coffee, several more people stepped into the shop.  They gave him one look and didn’t seem to like what they saw.  They ended up at the counter talking to the apprentice.  Evidently, they were friends of his.

The group made no secret of their distaste for stuck up preppy assholes.  Hux wasn’t exactly insulted by their words.  He was well aware that he was a stuck up preppy asshole and had been one his entire life. He just didn’t appreciate that he felt completely unwelcome in the shop when his boyfriend seemed to be their most sought after artist.

Hux also had that uncomfortable realization that he was now mentally referring to Ben as his boyfriend.  He supposed that after the number of dates they’d gone on and the implied though not discussed exclusivity of their relationship, they were sort of an item.  Hux felt caught off guard by the reality that if he wanted to end this, he probably actually had to have the conversation with Ben and perhaps in person instead of just never answering his messages again. This was followed by the even more uncomfortable realization that he didn’t particularly want to have that conversation.

Hux was starting to think that waiting in his car would be less frustrating when Ben walked out of the back area.  Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on him.  Most of them held awe in their gazes as he came around the counter, wearing a shop shirt that had the sleeves cut off and down his waist.  The girls that were waiting on their sobbing friend looked at Ben with hunger, and Hux couldn’t really blame them, though he felt an odd spark of jealousy as Ben looked around the lobby.

When Ben’s eyes found him, he smiled walking straight to him, ignoring everyone else. This included the posse at the counter who immediately tried to gain his attention as though they were close friends.  

Ben wrapped his arms around Hux’s waist and hugged him tightly.  “You’re here,” he said, squeezing Hux.  It wasn’t overly affectionate. It would’ve easily been taken as friendship if the viewer so chose, and Hux wasn’t sure if Ben was doing it to save face or to not potentially out Hux.

When Ben pulled back, Hux noticed that his left hand was wrapped in what looked like a bandage.  “Are you injured?” Hux asked without thinking.

Ben frowned then looked down at his own hand.  “No, I just got inked.  I told you.  I have some new designs for you to see, but I liked this one so I figured what the hell,” Ben told him, running his fingertips over the bandage lightly.

“Silly me,” Hux said, shaking his head.  

Ben smiled at him, clearly in a good mood.  Hux hadn’t seen him smile so much in all of their other interactions combined.  “You were worried,” Ben said, sounding confident.

“Shut up.  Most people wear bandages because they are injured, not because they just practiced a branding activity,” Hux retorted.

“Don’t you want to know what I got?” Ben asked. He kept his voice low, just between the two of them even if they had quite the audience.

“No.  You clearly want me to ask, and I won’t give you the satisfaction.”

“Fine, come look at my new designs and you can try to guess.  We’ve still got an hour before the movie,” Ben told him.

Hux sighed dramatically, but he let Ben lead him back into the employee area.  The room wasn’t large, but it had a kitchenette, bathroom, and a comfortable looking couch.  It also had an old tattooing chair.

“Sometimes when the shop’s closed, we drink back here and ink each other,” Ben said as Hux eyed the chair dubiously.  “Don’t worry.  I won’t strap you down to it and give you one.”

“I’m not certain that I trust you,” Hux told him.

Ben ignored that and pushed him down onto the couch.  He pulled the large coffee table closer to them, and Hux could see papers filled with designs spread across it.  Hux didn’t wait for Ben’s permission to go through the many sketches and fully rendered drawings that Ben had laid out.

There was a gorgeous dragon drawing, colored in reds and golds that took Hux’s breath away.  He could see framing it and hanging it up in his home.

“You like it?” Ben asked.

‘It’s quite stunning,” Hux told him, picking up the large paper and studying all of the details.

“You could have it if you want,” Ben told him.

“I know this may come as a shock, Ben, but I really do not want a tattoo,” Hux told him.

“No, I meant you could take it...or I could make a bigger one for you,” Ben offered.

Hux paused.  Did he really want Ben’s art hanging in his house?  He’d planned to dump the man after the movie.  How could he take the man’s art if that’s how he felt?

“It’s okay.  It’s part of your portfolio,” Hux told him, placing the drawing back onto the table and looking at something else.  Ben didn’t push the subject, allowing Hux to go through the sketches at his leisure.

Hux had to admit that Ben had an incredible and broad talent.  Hux couldn’t really understand his talent as he’d never been much good at drawing, but he found it impressive.  His colors tended to be bold and his subjects ranged from geometric patterns to fantastical creatures and everything in between.

He was fascinated by everything Ben created.  There were several odd little cartoonish creatures, a chipmunk, a bumblebee, a humming bird.  They were nothing like the others, but they were interesting in their own right.  Their colors were no less vibrant, but they had an attitude that the other creatures and designs didn’t possess.

There were weapons; swords, guns, daggers.  There were pinups, devils, and demons.  There was a particularly intricate gargoyle that Hux believed if he touched it he would feel the texture of stone.

“They’re all very good,” Hux said, tracing a dizzying optical illusion with his fingertip.

“I know,” Ben told him, but he pushed Hux back against the seat.

Hux gave him a questioning look as Ben suddenly straddled his lap.  “It turns me on that you like my stuff,” Ben told him.

“What doesn’t turn you on?” Hux retorted, still holding one of Ben’s sketches.

“Sweet talk.  Getting tattoos.  I was worried about that because pain does it for me sometimes and nothing is more awkward than the tattoo boner, but I’ve been free and clear each time, so I think it’s safe to say the actually process doesn’t do it,” Ben said, grinding his ass down into Hux’s lap.

“Anyone could walk in here at any moment,” Hux chided.  

“No, only employees.  Also, that’s part of the fun.”

Hux groaned, letting his head fall against the backrest.  “We’ll miss the movie,” he said when Ben tried to sneak his hands under Hux’s shirt.

Ben growled, but he got off of Hux.  “We should get going.  Saturday’s a popular night for the movies,” Ben said, walking across the room and pulling his tattered shirt over his head.

Hux didn’t stop himself from appreciating Ben’s firm body. That was why he told himself he was here after all.  Hux was simply doing everyone a favor and getting himself laid to unwind a bit.  Hux wondered for a moment if hiring a sex worker would’ve been cheaper than these useless dates with Ben, but then Ben turned his back to him to bend and pick up another shirt.

The harsh fluorescent lights in the room didn’t take away from how beautiful Ben’s body was.  His strong shoulders, and tapered waist were tempting.  The way his muscles stretched and flexed beneath his skin, as he pulled a very tight shirt over his head, did things to Hux that he couldn’t remember happening in a long time.

“What does the tattoo on your ribs say?” Hux asked, remembering the beautiful scrawl.

“Which side?” Ben asked, pulling his shirt back up to reveal two lines of script that almost mirrored each other.

“Both.”

“My left side says Sinners Shall Burn and the right says God Forgives,” Ben told him, pointing to them in turn.

“And you are right in the middle.  Torn between both dogmas,” Hux said.

Ben smirked at him, but he didn’t say anything to confirm or deny Hux’s deduction.  Instead, he pointed to the table of sketches.

“You know that dragon drawing was inspired by you?”

“I don’t see how...other than the orange,” Hux said, picking it up again.

“You’ve got more armor on you than a tank, but just looking at you and being near you...you’re fascinating.  You have all of this knowledge, and you guard your job like it’s treasure and separate yourself from everything else. I’m not sure I can steal any of the attention you have for it, but...shit, we’re going to be late,” Ben cut into his own speech as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

Hux opened his mouth to say something, but Ben pulled him up.  Hux still had the dragon in his hands as Ben pulled him out into the front of the shop.  There were fewer people now and less screaming.

“Hitting the movies then getting laid.  Don’t call,” Ben shouted over the hum of the tattoo machines buzzing.

“Be careful! That’s an unregistered weapon in your pants,” someone called back.

Hux was whisked out of the shop before he could confront Ben about his little speech, put down the drawing, or scold Ben for announcing they’d be having sex later.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Briefest mention of teenage masturbation and auto fellatio, religious upbringing and guilt, dirty talk, self humiliation during masturbation, brief mentions of homophobia


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for the chapter at the end

The movie was actually good.  Not just the movie itself but the date.  Ben insisted on buying a tub of popcorn even though Hux had told him he didn’t want any...which had been an outright lie.  Hux would have never put the amount of butter and salt on it that Ben did, but it had been delicious.

It had also given them a reason to bump hands as they fought each other for handfuls throughout the movie.  It felt like an actual date, complete with Ben’s arm around Hux’s shoulders and kisses stolen during lulls in the movie.

Hux didn’t know what to think as they sat there leaning into each other and whispering about their predictions.  Hux wished they’d done this sooner.  Ben was actually incredibly thoughtful when it came to plot and symbolism.  Hux supposed that was all of the religious study, but it was no less intriguing to hear his thoughts when the volume was low enough to facilitate quick conversations.

They battled over the end of the popcorn, and while Ben won due to the sheer size of his hands, he ended up feeding the last few kernels to Hux and chasing them with a kiss.  It was all so _romantic_.  Hux should’ve been appalled, but he enjoyed it.

“That was pretty good,” Ben said as they walked out of the theater.  He carried the empty tub for the popcorn, and Hux kept a safe distance between them.  However, as soon as Ben threw out their trash, he stepped directly beside Hux until their shoulders brushed as they walked.

“It was.  Of course, it was highly implausible…”

“That’s why it’s called fiction, Hux,” Ben told him, opening the door for Hux as they left the building.

“I am aware of the requirements for fiction,” Hux retorted.

Ben didn’t get swept into an argument.  Instead, he asked if Hux wanted to grab a burger near the shop again.  Hux considered demanding they go to a nice restaurant for once, but burgers and the movies seemed like a good combination.  He also knew that the burger place wouldn’t leave Ben in danger of soiling himself.

Dinner managed to be as pleasant as the movie.  They discussed Ben’s motivation for seeking out an apprenticeship after the seminary among other things.

“My grandfather was a brilliant artist, and I guess I just always felt close to him because of that.  Art was always an outlet for me even when I was away at school,” Ben explained as they shared an appetizer of buffalo wings.  

Hux was not fond of the mess it made of his fingers, but the food was good enough for him to forsake cleanliness.

“Did your grandfather encourage you?” Hux asked, picking up another wing.

“I never met him.  He died before I was born...and he was estranged from my mom for most of her life,” Ben explained.

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.  Who knows?  He could’ve been a creep, but I’ve always had this sort of mental image of him...and it got me through a lot of shit,” Ben said, nearly cleaning the wing in a single bite.  The man had a truly talented mouth.

“Then it doesn’t matter what he was really like,” Hux told him.  “He got you through whether he was actually like that or not.”

“But what if everything I built my life on was a lie?”

Hux shrugged.  “‘I think, therefore I am.’  So much of our reality is based on thought.  Perhaps our thoughts do not shape the universe, but they shape our own universe. Your image of your grandfather isn’t a lie.  It is a thought that kept you going.  That has as much power as a truth.  Just ask religion.  It doesn’t matter whether it is real, only that you believe,” Hux said, dabbing at his face with a napkin.  He wondered if he’d ever be free of the unnatural orange of the wings.

“I’ve already failed at religion,” Ben told him, sounding bemused.  “Though I didn’t take you for a student of Descartes.  I figured you be more Newtonian.  If the apple lands on your head there must be a reason for it and all that.”

“Of course, I seek truth and explanation, but the human mind is not black and white.  I could teach nothing but facts to my students all day, and they would retain little if anything.  As unfortunate as it may be, we as humans need connections.  We need to feel,” Hux said.

Ben smiled at him.  “And what are you feeling right now?” he asked, running his foot up Hux’s calf beneath the table.

Hux gave him a deadpan look.  “Frustrated that you think with your dick,” Hux told him.

Ben gave him a smirk that had no right being as charming as it was.  They continued to squabble over philosophy until their meals came, but then they became engrossed in their food.

“Would you like to go back to my place this time?” Hux asked as they stepped out of the restaurant.

“Really?” Ben sounded surprised by the offer.

“Yes, really.  Do you have a problem with going to my place?” Hux asked.

“No, I just didn’t know if you’d ever actually invite me there,” Ben admitted.

“Don’t be silly.  You went there on our first date.”

“To drop you off…”

“It just hasn’t been convenient.  Now, do you want to go or not?” Hux asked, feeling oddly defensive.

“Sure,” Ben said, wrapping his arm around Hux’s shoulders and pulling him close.  It was nice. Hux’s partners had never really demanded much physical contact from him in the past.  Even his ex-fiancée had kept their contact to a minimum.  

Phasma liked to tell him he didn’t get enough positive physical contact to thrive.  Hux liked to tell her that she was full of shit, but the research he’d read seemed to say otherwise.  That was why Hux didn’t throw Ben’s big arm off of him.  It was for his health.

“Would you like to follow me?” Hux asked, looking to where Ben’s car was parked beside his own in the lot.

“I’ll just catch a cab or Uber or something tomorrow before you go to work,” Ben said, letting Hux lead them to his vehicle.

The ride back to Hux’s place was quiet, but Ben’s hand found its way onto Hux’s thigh and kneaded the muscle there.  His hands were one of his best features, even if they were mostly covered in ink.   

“So, what did you get?” Hux asked, noticing that Kylo’s hand was still wrapped up.  

“I think you should guess,” Kylo told him, squeezing his thigh.

Hux rolled his eyes.  “A cross.” He just said the first thing that came to mind.  

Ben squeezed his thigh harder in rebuke.  With all of the other religious imagery, Hux thought it had been a decent guess. He remembered Ben telling him that he’d liked the design so much that he’d decided to get it, so perhaps Hux had already seen it.

“What about the bumble bee?” he asked next.

Ben actually laughed that time.  “Those were for a customer.  He’s got over a dozen like them.  Calls up regularly and says shit like, seductive squirrel or some shit.  We take turns drawing it up, and he comes in and gets it when one of us can fit him in.”

“Seductive squirrel?”

“Yeah, Edith did that one.  It came out really nicely,” Ben told him.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Hux said.  “Do you get a lot of weirdos?”

Ben laughed again.  “A fair amount of the money we make is on things none of us would ever want on our own bodies, but I know people look at my ink the same way.  Who am I to judge?  You haven’t guessed what I got though, and we’re getting close to your house.”

“I give up.  You’ll just have to show me,” Hux told him, never having been one for guessing games or surprises.  He liked to know exactly what he could expect from any given situation, which was the exact opposite of what it was like to date Ben.

Ben didn’t say anything as Hux pulled into his driveway.  Hux had spent the afternoon cleaning, so he could bring Ben home with him.  He was hoping that his own controlled atmosphere would lend itself to a better sexual experience.  At this point, Hux would’ve tried anything.

“You have a nice house,” Ben said as they got out of Hux’s car.

“Yes, over a decade of teaching and this is about all I have to show for it.  I suppose it’s better than gray hairs which is what most of my colleagues are cultivating,” Hux said, taking out his keys and unlocking the front door.  He kicked off his shoes in the entryway, and Ben quickly followed suit.  

Hux took Ben’s leather jacket and hung it beside his own on the coat rack.  He was a little surprised that Millicent didn’t come to investigate as she could be quite nosy, but he assumed she was sleeping somewhere.  She was probably also cross with him because of how much time he’d been spending out of the house recently.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Hux asked, leading Ben through the hallway toward the kitchen and den.  

“Beer?” Ben asked.

“I have Stella for when my coworker comes over,” Hux told him.

“That’s fine.  Wine tends to give me a headache before I even get drunk,” Ben admitted.

“Beer it is then,” Hux agreed.  

“Your bathroom?”

Hux showed him to the small first floor bathroom before going to get their drinks.  He hummed to himself as he poured Ben’s beer into a glass then poured himself a glass of wine.  He felt better about this date already.  They were going to have a pleasant evening, followed by mind-blowing sex, and nothing was going to stop them this time.  Hux had thoroughly prepared himself for any and all outcomes.

Setting the drinks down in the den, Hux went to his music collection for something to set the mood.  He was going through his smooth jazz collection when Ben came back from the bathroom. Hux glanced over his shoulder to see Ben take a hearty drink from his beer.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Hux said, picking out one of his favorite albums and putting it on the turntable.

“That’s what I was doing by drinking half the beer in one go,” Ben said, collapsing onto the couch.

“Do you not want to stay?” Hux asked, suddenly concerned that Ben had changed his mind.

“What?  No, I like it here,” Ben said, spreading his legs and getting settled in.

“Good,” Hux said, stepping away from the sound system as his vinyl began to play.  He walked over to Ben and boldly sat in his lap, straddling his hips.

Ben’s right hand immediately came to rest on Hux’s hip to hold him steady.  His left remained on the cushion of the couch.  Hux looked down at it only to gasp.

“You took the bandage off,” he said, studying the swollen and freshly inked skin of Ben’s hand.

“Yeah, you aren’t supposed to leave the plastic on it too long.  It’s got to breath to heal, and I wanted to wash off the blood and plasma so it won’t scab up real bad. Scabby ink is the worst.  I have self control, but they can itch like you wouldn’t believe,” Ben explained. “I didn’t want you to see it right away either,” he added when Hux just stared at him.

Hux knew why as soon as he saw the design.  It was very similar to the large dragon painting that was still sitting in Hux’s back seat.  The very subject that Ben had gone on about being inspired by him.  Suddenly, Hux knew why Ben had stopped himself mid speech about that design.  He’d gone and given himself away, and Hux would have to be a very dumb individual not to realize what Ben had done.  He also knew that he had to tread carefully.

“It’s beautiful,” Hux said, lifting Ben’s arm but being extremely careful not to touch the actual tattoo.  

Ben didn’t fight him as Hux held his hand up to the light and studied the design.  It wasn’t as detailed as the drawing Ben had given Hux.  Ben’s hand was large, but there was only so much space on it.

However, the dragon was nestled on the back of Ben’s hand with its tail snaking down his ring finger.  Its snout extended down to the first knuckle of his thumb, and its front talons were resting above the first knuckle of his index finger, clutching what appeared to be a heart.

Hux told himself it was ridiculous to get a tattoo dedicated to a man that Ben could hardly say he was dating.  However, no matter what Hux told himself logically, no one had ever done something so beautiful in his honor.

“It even has the orange and gold scales,” Hux said, wanting to run his fingers over them but knowing it was unsanitary.

“Yeah,” Ben murmured, curling his fingers around Hux’s.  “Do you really like it, or do you think I’m a psycho?”

“Those two are not mutually exclusive.  I can like it very much while still thinking you are, in fact, a psycho,” Hux told him very seriously.

“Fuck you,” Ben said, seeming to finally relax as Hux teased him.

“Do you really think of me as a dragon?” Hux asked, stroking Ben’s palm.  

“Don’t let it go to your head. As you can see, you are the smallest dragon in existence.  Hardly a threat even.  You probably hoard detention slips or something equally lightweight,” Ben told him, leaning forward and reaching around Hux to grab his beer off the coffee table.  Hux took his wine as well, and they took a few moments to put significant dents in their drinks.  

“Shouldn’t you rewrap that or something?” Hux asked, still focused completely on the freshly inked hand.

“Like I said, it’s got to breathe,” Ben told him, sounding completely unaffected by Hux’s ignorance.

“Does it hurt?” Hux couldn’t help himself.  He’d never taken part in an act of self branding before even if said branding was quite pleasing to look at.

“Hurt like a bitch when I got it.  Hands suck, but I really don’t mind the feel of the needle.  I wouldn’t be completely covered if I did,” Ben said, putting his empty beer down and running his hand over Hux’s flank.  “Are you suddenly interested in my profession, or can we start dry humping on the couch now?” Ben asked.

“No one is stopping you.  I am literally sitting in your lap,” Hux told him sharply.  He put down his own glass after draining it, and he wrapped his arms around Ben’s shoulders.  “I was hoping a change of scenery would facilitate a more _romantic_ evening,” Hux said, leaning in to kiss Ben soundly.

Ben hummed as their lips met, pulling Hux down against his crotch and grinding up against him.  Hux cupped his face as they kissed, rocking his hips to meet Ben’s.

“Is it presumptuous if I tell you I prepared for all outcomes tonight?” Hux asked, grinding down on Ben’s lap hungrily.

Ben cursed under his breath and kissed Hux before answering him.  “Why would it be a presumptuous? I think it’s pretty clear I want to fuck you too,” he said, sounding as out of breath as Hux felt.

“Your hand is swollen and sex...especially with us, can be rather messy,” Hux tried to be a reasonable adult, but it was hard when Ben’s right hand was pulling up his sweater to find its way into the back of his jeans.

“I’ll make sure it isn’t a problem,” Ben panted, pushing his hand down until he cupped Hux’s ass within his pants.

Hux didn’t have a response other than to moan as Ben squeezed his ass and pressed his hips up against him.  He let himself get lost in the kiss, enjoying the tease of Ben’s piercings and the touch of his hands.  It was easy to forget their past fumbles when they were so wrapped up in each other as they kissed.

Ben tugged at the hem of Hux’s sweater, and Hux quickly lifted his arms to allow Ben to remove it.  The garment went flying across the room as Ben leaned in again to pepper kisses over Hux’s throat.  

Hux moaned softly, gripping Ben’s shoulders as Ben bit at Hux’s collarbone.  Ben seemed to know the exact amount of pressure to drive Hux to distraction.  

Ben removed Hux’s t-shirt next, making no comment about how unfunny it was as he tossed it away.  He wasted no time latching his teeth around one of Hux’s nipples as soon as they were free.  

“Fuck, ever since you sent me that video, I can’t get it out of my head,” Ben mumbled as he pinched the other nipple so as not to leave it out.  “I’ve wanted to fuck you since I saw your profile.  You just looked like you…” Ben growled, pulling Hux down and grinding up against him.  Hux could feel Ben’s erection through his jeans, and it set his pulse racing.  “...shit, you just looked like you’d be an animal in bed.  That look you had in all your pictures...just imagined you tearing my clothes off while you berated me,” Ben said, sounding completely delirious.

“Is that what you want?” Hux asked, pushing his hands beneath Ben’s shirt and savoring the feel of his body.

“Fuck yes!” Ben raised his arms to let Hux remove his shirt, and Hux obliged.

“Look at you, such an eager slut,” Hux told him as he pulled the shirt free.  He tossed it behind him, not caring that his neat den was becoming covered in discarded clothing.  

“That’s right,” Ben groaned.  “You’re not so proper when you get going.”

Hux went right for Ben’s belt, unbuckling it and opening up Ben’s jeans.  “Filthy boy,” Hux said as he shoved his hand into the opening of Ben’s pants and palmed him through his underwear.

“Yes,” Ben gasped, bucking his hips into Hux’s hand.

“Saying the rosary a few times isn’t going to save you.  You’re disgusting,” Hux told him, continuing to stroke him through the material.

Ben moaned loudly, hips jerking up against Hux.

Hux didn’t know what came over him to play along to Ben’s weird fantasies, but maybe it was that he was simply tired of this not working out.  He wanted a good night with Ben, one that maybe he’d feel ashamed for enjoying but at least he’d have enjoyed it.

Ben seemed to be of a similar mind as he roughly unzipped Hux’s own jeans.  Hux wasn’t expecting Ben to lift him up and change their positions to drop Hux on the couch.  He was shocked by Ben’s strength, and Ben took complete advantage as he yanked off Hux’s pants and threw them aside to join the other garments.

“Fuck, I love your legs,” Ben told him, grabbing one of Hux’s ankles and kissing up his leg.

Hux squirmed, but Ben didn’t let go.  He kissed and nipped at Hux’s skin as he used his right hand to palm Hux’s aching erection.  Hux could do little more than moan and writhe as Ben took control.

“I want your legs wrapped around my hips as I fuck you,” Ben told him. “I want to watch your whole body arch when I sink in balls deep.”

Hux moaned loudly, imagining their bodies together as they fucked each other.  He wanted none of the fumbling advances they’d been making.  He wanted to truly have Ben.  He wanted to be able to touch all of him, make demands without worrying about how Ben might react.  He just wanted to live in this moment.

“I want to hear you scream in pleasure as my piercings light you up inside,” Ben added, roughly squeezing Hux’s dick before biting his inner thigh.

Hux cried out, arching up off the couch and burying his fingers in Ben’s hair.  Yes, this was it.  This was what he wanted.

“Yeah, just like that,” Ben said, switching legs and giving this one just as much attention as its mate. When he reached the top of Hux’s thigh, he nuzzled Hux’s cock through his underwear, mouthing at it hungrily.  “Maybe we should move this too the bed,” Ben told him, moving up Hux’s body to grind their hips together.

Hux was at a loss for breath, and trying to form words when he felt like he might just pass out from sheer pleasure was difficult.  Still, he wanted this, and he pushed through Ben’s significant distraction.

“It’s upstairs,” he gasped, squeezing Ben’s bicep as he bucked up against him.

“Lead the way,” Ben told him, pulling back.  He helped Hux sit up and didn’t take his hands off him as they stood.

Hux led him back through the hall to the stairs.  They were halfway up when Ben squeezed his arm and stopped to sneeze.

“You alright?” Hux asked after two sneezes that sounded like they could blow a door down.  

“I’m fine,” Ben assured him, wrapping his arms around Hux’s waist and kissing his spine as Hux tried to continue up the stairs.  Ben ended up pressing Hux to the wall and humping against him as he sucked a hickey into the meat of Hux’s shoulder.

Hux was too aroused to stop him.  It wouldn’t be visible in his clothes anyway, so he didn’t see the harm in it.  It had been a long time since someone had seen fit to mark him as theirs.

“Bed’s this way,” Hux said when Ben pulled back.  He took Ben’s right hand and guided him down the hall to the master bedroom.  

No sooner did they step inside, and Ben lifted Hux up and laid him down on the bed.  He rested his body over Hux’s and began to kiss him again.

Lying on the bed seemed to jumpstart Hux’s mind, and he pulled back just a little as Ben removed his own pants.

“You’re large,” Hux told him.

“I work out,” Ben said offhandedly as he wrestled with his jeans.

“No, your cock...and with the hardware…”

“You can take me,” Ben told him.  He sounded like he had no doubt his words were true.

“It’s been a long time...with the drought...and my last serious partner being a woman who had no inclination to peg me,” Hux explained.  He wasn’t backing down, but he certainly did not want to be in pain for the foreseeable future due to Ben being extremely well endowed.

“Do you play with yourself?” Ben asked, finally freeing himself of his pants and shoving off his underwear as well.

Hux tried not to blush at how that sounded.  They probably should’ve had this conversation before they were both horrifically aroused, but here they were better late than never.  

“In the bath, I’ve been known to digitally stimulate myself,” Hux admitted, watching Ben as he sat on the edge of the bed as though afraid to approach Hux again.

“And how many fingers…” he trailed off as though he couldn’t bring himself to say _how many fingers can you stick in your ass._ The hand motion he made was far worse than anything he could’ve said though.

“Comparing our fingers is apples to oranges or maybe even apples to grapefruits,” Hux told him.

Ben laughed.  “Look, I promise I won’t hurt you.  I’d let you do the honors, but to be perfectly honest, I’m still recovering from Pepe’s revenge, and I can’t guarantee that anything that goes in me won’t come out brown,” Ben told him, making a face as he said it.

“Charming,” Hux laughed softly.  This is what his life had come to, either risk the wrath of Ben’s bowels or risk the dragon in Ben’s pants...or worst of all, risk continuing the drought.

“How can you be certain that I can manage...that unregistered weapon?” Hux asked, having already made his decision.  That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to go into this completely informed.

Ben took that as an invitation to join him where he laid on the bed, and he positioned himself over Hux’s body.  “First, I’ll eat you out until you’re so drunk on pleasure you barely feel my _grapefruit_ fingers as they slide into you.  Then I’ll take you apart very slowly until you’re loose and ready for me.  Then I think I’ll eat you out some more before I fuck you so hard you’ll be ruined for anyone else,” Ben told him.

It sounded delightful in theory.  “I’m expecting this to be worth ending the drought for, Ben.  Bad sex is not better than no sex, no matter what teenage boys might think,” Hux told him, pushing his underwear off and settling in.

Ben laughed, wasting no time before rubbing their naked bodies together.  “Just don’t accidentally grab my hand or anything,” he reminded Hux before kissing his way down Hux’s torso.

Hux made a mental note to not grab Ben’s swollen hand.  Instead, he gripped the headboard as Ben sucked at his hipbone.

“Do you happen to have lube?  I can produce a lot of spit, but I don’t think that’s really going to do the job,” Ben said, licking a stripe up Hux’s cock.  They both watched it twitch at the contact before Hux reached into his nightstand drawer and removed an unopened bottle.  He’d completely prepared the entire house for all outcomes, meaning boxes of both regular and magnum sized condoms.  He removed a box and tossed them onto the comforter.  Finally, he pulled a folded up towel from beneath the pillows.

“I’d prefer it if we didn’t ruin my comforter,” he said when Ben gave him a strange look.

Ben shook his head, but he unfolded the towel and helped Hux get situated on top of it.  “You’re very particular,” Ben said, clearly choosing his words carefully.

“I just don’t like a mess,” Hux told him.

“Sex is messy.”

“Which is part of the reason I haven’t had it in so long,” Hux retorted.

“Life is messy,” Ben added.

“I prefer to have as much control over that as possible, so either deal with it or show yourself the door.”

Ben kissed the inside of his thigh.  “Just shut up and relax,” Ben ordered, arranging himself to be able to press his lips to Hux’s ass.

Hux moaned as soon as Ben made contact.  It wasn’t as shocking or uncomfortable now that Hux knew what to expect. He also wasn’t as grossed out, knowing how thoroughly he’d cleaned himself before their date.  Hux was confident that he was clean enough to eat one’s dinner off of...which he supposed was exactly what Ben was doing.  

Ben started slow, gently licking at Hux and using his hand to massage Hux’s calf as he worked.  It was surprisingly easy to relax with Ben between his knees.  Hux didn’t often find it easy to relax with his partners, so it came as a bit of a surprise that even with the size of Ben, Hux wasn’t afraid of what they were about to attempt.

True to his word, Ben took his time licking into Hux and teasing him thoroughly with his tongue before he went any further.  His tongue was enough to leave Hux breathless as the piercing teased him then slipped inside of him.  Hux’s mind wasn’t working particularly well as he arched off the bed, but he assumed that intoxicating drag of the ball end of the piercing inside him was a teaser for what was to come.

Hux buried his fingers in Ben’s hair and wrapped his thighs around Ben’s head as he pulled him closer.  Ben didn’t fight him, gripping Hux’s thigh tightly as he pressed his tongue as deeply as it would go.  Hux moaned loudly, shaking from the pleasure that curled in his belly.

Ben pulled back, and Hux let him go.  He was too aroused to put up any sort of fight.

“I love it when you get as red as your hair,” Ben said, running his fingertips over Hux’s belly where the flush of arousal was abundantly apparent.  

“I would love it if you avoided sweet talk as you are horrible at it,” Hux told him.

Ben groaned, wrapping his hand around his cock and giving it a couple strokes.  “I should fuck your mouth just to keep it quiet,” Ben told him, picking up the bottle of lube with his left hand and pouring some onto his right.

Ben made sure his fingers were covered before pouring some directly onto Hux’s ass.  Hux gasped as the cool liquid came into contact with his hole.  He glared down at Ben who was giving him a self-satisfied look.

“Bastard,” Hux muttered even as Ben’s index finger slowly circled his hole.  Hux cursed when Ben pressed the digit in just far enough for Hux to feel himself stretch around it.

“When you’re ready for my dick, I’m going to go slow,” Ben told him, pulling his finger back and circling Hux again.  “Going to let you have just enough that you’re begging me for more,” Ben said, pushing back in just the scantest bit further this time.

Hux’s breath hitched.  If he were in his right mind, he would scold Ben for teasing him, but he wasn’t, and Ben’s teasing was leaving him completely undone.

“Don’t think I won’t give as good as I get when you stop feeling Pepe’s wrath,” Hux warned him, bucking his hips to try to take Ben’s finger a little deeper.

“I count on it,” Ben told him, pressing his thick finger further in.

Hux gasped, feeling it stretch him as it sunk into him.  Hux gripped the pillows beneath his head as he struggled not to cry out.  His back arched as Ben pressed his finger all the way in and curled it forward.  Hux could see stars behind his eyelids as they closed involuntarily.  He was at Ben’s mercy, and he frankly couldn’t remember if that was his plan all along or not.

“Fuck,” Ben cursed, and Hux’s eyes opened immediately, afraid something had gone wrong.

The only thing wrong was how adoring Ben’s gaze was.  He stroked Hux’s thigh with his left hand even as the other was still knuckle deep inside him.  

“I would prefer you not look at me as though I hung the stars while you have your fingers in me.  It’s a strange juxtaposition,” Hux told him, uncomfortable with anyone looking at him with such unadulterated adoration.  

“Sorry,” Ben said, removing his finger and covering it in more lube before pressing it into Hux again.

Hux moaned, closing his eyes and letting his legs fall further apart.  Ben seemed to know just how slowly to take things to give Hux the greatest amount of pleasure, and Hux couldn’t deny he was ready to let Ben handle it.

He didn’t fight his body’s reactions.  When Ben did something the left him shaking, he let him know it.  When Ben went too hard, and Hux felt like he might fall into an abyss of overstimulation, he gripped Ben’s hair tightly, and Ben gave him a break and took to kissing his thighs again.

This was sex worth waiting for.  This was the kind of sex worth ending a drought over.

Hux arched into Ben’s touch as he used two fingers to spread him open further.  There was no pain just as Ben had promised, and each stroke of his fingers felt like pleasurable lightning.  

Ben used no shortage of lubricant as he opened Hux up, and Hux could feel it drip down his crack and onto the towel as Ben worked him open.  It wasn’t as disgusting as he would’ve thought the mess would be, but he was too distracted by his body’s reaction to Ben to really make a judgment about messes.

Hux arched up as Ben’s mouth joined his fingers, tongue teasing Hux along with his hand.  Hux panted as Ben stretched him wide and fucked him deeply with his long fingers.  This was definitely worth the preparations he’d made that afternoon.

“You think you’re ready for me?” Ben asked, sitting up and wiping his hand on the towel beneath Hux’s hips.

“I think if you spend anymore time preparing me, I’m going to expire and you’ll be left to fuck my corpse,” Hux told him, feeling strange in his own body.  He didn’t think he’d ever been this aroused in his life.  

“You’ve managed to make this weird,” Ben told him, shaking his head.  “Can you hold the backs of your knees and keep yourself open?” Ben asked, picking up the box of condoms and tearing into the thing.  He removed one and opened it.  He picked up the lube and squeezed a drop or two into the reservoir before bringing it to his cock and very carefully rolling it over his erection and piercings.

Hux watched with rapt attention as Ben adjusted it at the base of his cock before pouring lube onto his non-swollen hand and stroking himself.

“Can you hold the backs of your—”

“Yes, sorry,” Hux said, taking his legs and spreading himself before Ben had to repeat himself completely .

Ben was still big, and Hux worried his bottom lip as Ben set about making sure there was plenty of lubricant to ease his way before lining himself up.

True to his word, he took it slow.  Hux gasped as he felt the head of Ben’s cock, complete with piercing, press against his hole.  Ben didn’t push to enter him though.  He braced himself over Hux and kissed his shoulder and neck until Hux relaxed slightly.

“Don’t treat me like some waif that can’t handle you,” Hux told him, raking his nails down Ben’s back.  Perhaps he was being a little ridiculous considering his earlier concerns, but he didn’t like to be treated like he was fragile.

“Don’t taunt me while I’ve got my dick between your ass cheeks,” Ben told him, pressing forward just enough to put real pressure against Hux’s hole.  

Hux shuddered.  He couldn’t stop his body’s reaction if his life depended on it.  

Ben pulled back and stroked himself with lube-slick fingers before doing the same to Hux’s hole.  “I think we have enough lube between the two of us,” Hux insisted.

“Can never have too much lube,” Ben told him.  Hux was pretty sure that was _not_ true, but it definitely beat the alternative which was to take Ben with too little.

Hux gripped Ben’s shoulders like a vice as Ben finally pressed into him.  He didn’t push far, just enough to stretch Hux around his head, but it was enough to leave Hux breathless.  It didn’t so much hurt as it pushed past any previous experience Hux had ever had.  He’d never taken someone with a cock Ben’s size, and he certainly had never experienced one with a single piercing, never mind the number Ben’s possessed.  These were new and dangerous waters, and Hux was plunging right into them.

“Fuck, you feel good,” Ben told him, pulling back, stroking himself again with wet fingers then pressing in just a little further.

Hux was more aware of the slip of the lube than he was of Ben’s length, but as soon as he pushed the head all the way into Hux, that had Hux’s complete attention.  Hux’s breathing was completely erratic as Ben paused, taking a moment to kiss Hux without moving.

Hux’s fingers dug into the flesh of his own knees as he was aware of both the size of Ben and the latex covered Prince Albert he was sporting.

“Relax, or this is as far as I’m gonna get,” Ben told him, stroking Hux’s ribs with lube covered fingers.  Hux hardly even noticed how wet they were.  He was so focused on Ben’s cock.  Ben reached between them and slowly stroked Hux’s cock, and they jarred Hux from his trance.  “Does it hurt?” Ben asked, meeting Hux’s eyes.

“No, I’m fine,” Hux told him though his voice was thready.  Ben snorted, but he pushed in just a little further.  Hux groaned, using his hands to spread his legs more in order to accommodate Ben.  

“Want to show me how you like to be touched?” Ben asked, still lightly stroking Hux’s cock.

Hux released his right leg and wrapped it around Ben’s hip as he reached between them.  They both shuddered as the movement shifted Ben’s cock.  Hux wrapped his fingers around Ben’s and they stroked him together as Ben held his body still.

Their combined touch was breathtaking, and they quickly fell into a rhythm over Hux’s erection.  Hux hardly flinched as the first of the surface piercings dragged over his rim and into him.  The second left his breath hitching, and the third set left him shaking, but Ben stroked him through it.

Hux felt completely completely full, but he knew there was still one more piercing before he was taking all of Ben.

“I don’t…” he said deliriously as he arched into Ben’s body.

Ben kissed his neck and continued to stroke him, holding himself still once again.  When Hux was somewhat in control of himself again, Ben pulled back and sunk into him again.

Hux cried out, loud enough that he hoped his neighbors wouldn’t hear.  He could feel the bumps of the piercings as they moved inside him, and it was overwhelming.  Hux wrapped his other leg around Ben’s hips and held onto him as they slowly started to build a rhythm.

Hux could see it in Ben’s eyes that he was just as aroused and out of control as Hux was.  

“Is this what you’ve been dreaming about, you filthy creature?” Hux asked him as Ben thrust into him.

His body made a crude noise as Ben pushed in and displaced the copious amount of lubricant inside of Hux.  Hux would’ve been embarrassed if he was mentally capable at the moment.

Ben snorted as Hux’s ass made another loud noise as he pulled back just as quickly and again when he pushed back in.  It wasn’t ideal, but Ben didn’t look like he had any plans of stopping just because it sounded like he was fucking a whoopie cushion.  

“Yes, you feel so fucking good,” Ben told him as he finally buried himself to the hilt.  Hux writhed beneath him as Ben grinded against him, lighting him up from the inside out.

Hux was breathless and shaking as Ben pulled back almost completely.  He watched Ben add more lube before pushed back into him almost roughly.  The sensation of the piercings and the stretch around Ben’s cock left Hux on the brink of tears.  He’d never felt something so powerful from sex, and Ben seemed so completely in tune with his needs that he couldn’t even take comfort in bossing Ben around.  He was so completely out of his element, but pleasurably so.

“You feel good too,” Hux admitted, scratching his nails down Ben’s back.

Ben offered him a strained smile as their bodies continued to create unfortunate noises where they met.  However, not the noise or even the sensation of too much lube could taint this.  Ben grunted with each thrust as he was clearly getting close.  Hux was close as well.  The initial penetration may have made his erection flag even with their hands stroking him, but now he was fully hard again and on the brink of what he could only assume would be a life changing orgasm.

Hux was so distracted by Ben that he didn’t hear Millicent’s warning yowl.  Ben didn’t either as he laid into Hux while sucking a bruise into Hux’s skin.

They both jolted as Millicent launched herself onto Ben’s back and sunk her claws into his shoulder.

Ben howled as he jerked inside Hux, leaving Hux crying out in shock and a bit of pain.  Hux clung to Ben as Millicent landed on his chest and twisted to make a swipe at Ben’s face.

“Fuck!”

Hux was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to sit for a week with the way Ben pulled out of him.  Hux managed to grab his very distressed cat as Ben fell off of the bed cursing loudly.

Hux had tears running down his cheeks as he tried to sooth his cat.  “It’s okay, Millie.  He wasn’t hurting me,” Hux said though his body no longer agreed with that assessment.  

Ben was still cursing as Hux carried Millicent out of the room and fed her and locked her in the downstairs bathroom with her bed and favorite toys as well as a treat.  She seemed fine, but he didn’t want to cause her more stress.

Hux’s ass ached as he climbed the stairs again.  His balls ached from being so close to orgasm when he was snatched away, and his ego ached from having what he thought was finally going to be something good ruined _again_.

Ben was in the bathroom when Hux returned, and he could still hear cursing coming from him.  Hux walked in without knocking and was surprised to see that Ben’s face was as swollen as his hand.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, going right to Ben and trying to hold him.

Ben stumbled back, but Hux steadied him.  “I’m allergic to cats.  Jesus Christ, that thing tried to kill me,” Ben said, trying to wash his hands before touching his increasingly puffy face.

“Shit, I didn’t realize,” Hux said, wondering how he hadn’t told Ben about Millie yet.  He talked about her like she was his child most of the time.  He had a picture of her in his wallet.

“I didn’t know you had a cat, or I would’ve told you.  Fuck,” Ben cursed, knocking something off of the vanity because his eyes were swelling shut.

“I suppose you got her dander in your eyes,” Hux sighed, turning on the water and helping Ben wash his hands before washing his face.  The scratches Millie had left behind were impressive.  She was a maine coon, but even so the one over Ben’s cheek was bleeding freely.

“You need to see a doctor,” Hux said.

“And say what?  I was attacked by your guard cat while balls deep in you?” Ben snapped.

“You think I’m enjoying this?  My ass is on fire right now, and I’m leaking lubricant like a faucet because ‘you can never have too much lube.’  Do you think I planned for Millie to attack you while we had sex?”

“Well, you didn’t bother to keep her out of the room or anything,” Ben shouted.

“She’s never reacted that way before!”

“How would you know?  You haven’t had sex in years!”

“Fine, see if I care if your face swells up and scars,” Hux told him, turning to go check on Millicent.  However, the quick movement left him gasping as it irritated his aching ass.

“Fuck,” Ben cursed, grabbing Hux around the waist.  “Let me make sure I didn’t do any lasting damage,” he said, trying to guide Hux to bend over the vanity.

“Keep your hands off me.  You’ve done enough,” Hux insisted, but he cursed as he bent forward and spread his legs anyway.  “I don’t see how you’re going to be much help if your eyes are swollen—” Hux cut off in a gasp as Ben touched his fingers to Hux’s ass.  He hissed as Ben spread him carefully.

“You aren’t bleeding, and nothing that should be inside of you is outside,” Ben told him as he carefully removed his fingers again.

“It’s called a prolapse,” Hux told him sharply.

“Yeah, whatever, just be happy you don’t have one,” Ben said, though his touch was gentle as he touched Hux’s thigh.  “I’m sorry I hurt you.  All I knew was I was being attacked, and instinct kicked in,” Ben admitted, draping himself over Hux’s body.  

Ben looked awful, and the swelling wasn’t getting any better as they stood there.  

“Let me take you to the ER.  You should get antibiotics for the scratches if nothing else,” Hux told him, turning in Ben’s arms and cupping his face.

Ben groaned, but he didn’t say no.  “You can’t drive or tattoo anyone if your face is completely swollen,” Hux added.  Ben just kept cursing.  “Let’s get dressed, and I’ll drive you.”

“Yeah, okay.  Where’s your cat?  I don’t want to be attacked again when I go to get my clothes.”

“I locked her in the downstairs bathroom with her food and toys.  Just don’t go in there, and you’ll be fine,” Hux told him.

“Okay.  Take your time, I don’t want you in more pain because of me,” Ben told him, stepping back.  

“Too late for that,” Hux muttered when Ben was out of earshot.  He groaned as he felt lube slip out of him and down his thighs.  “That is disgusting,” he muttered, wetting a towel and attempting to clean himself up enough to put on pants.

Every time he thought he was clean, his body gave another awful spasm and more lube slipped out of him.  Hux cursed as he wiped himself up yet again.  “Disgusting,” he sighed putting the cloth down and going to find himself some pants to wear.

He happened to glance at the bed as he passed it, and he had to stop when he saw how much lube was missing from the bottle.  “No,” he gasped as he held it up.  Nearly half of the sizable bottle was missing.  Even if only half of that made it inside of him...Hux began to curse extensively.

By the time he had suitably comfortable pants and a pair of underwear chosen, his ass was slick again.  Hux rummaged through his closet until he found the box of things his ex fiancée had left, and he hadn’t known what to do with.  He cursed everything as he found the box of maxi pads she’d left behind.  He pulled two out and retreated to the bathroom.

When Hux emerged, he felt completely uncomfortable.  The pad was not comfortable, and he wasn’t even sure that it would absorb the lube.  However, he couldn’t exactly flush himself out while Ben was downstairs with a swollen face and scratches on his back and face.  

“You look like shit,” Ben said when Hux found him on the couch, holding an ice pack to his face.

“I am currently wearing a menstrual pad because you saw fit to practically give me a lubricant enema in order to fit your dick in me.  I am quite certain that I have earned this look,” Hux told him, giving Ben a thorough glare.

“Should I ask why you have menstrual pads just lying around?” Ben asked, standing up and following Hux to the door.

“My ex left them when she left me.  I suppose getting away from me was more important than they were,” Hux said grudgingly.  He couldn’t exactly bad mouth that decision in his current predicament.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said once they were in the car and on the way to the hospital.

“For what?” Hux asked, feeling defeat rather than anger.

“I don’t know,” Ben admitted.  

Hux could see that it wasn’t either of their faults that this happened.  It was still awful, and he didn’t have to be happy about it.

The nurse in charge took one look at them and actually saw to Ben.  Hux told himself that it was just a slow night in the ER, and they didn’t look like they’d just been mugged or something.  

The woman did a good job of keeping her composure as Ben explained what had happened.  Hux was even allowed to stay with him as they gave him something to bring the swelling down before cleaning his scratches.

“Cat got you good,” the nurse told him as she took a look at his back and neck.  “You’ll need to keep these clean. They’re fairly deep for a house cat,” she said, covering the little punctures in antibiotic ointment.  “I’ll have the doctor prescribe you an antibiotic,” she said before leaving the curtained off area Ben had been assigned.

“How’s your ass?” Ben asked once they were somewhat alone.  There wasn’t a whole lot of privacy, but they were both too tired to care.

“If this is anything like what incontinence feels like, please kill me before I grow old,” Hux told him, practically gagging as he felt the squish of the lube against his ass.  “How is your face?”  Thankfully, the swelling was already going down with what they’d given him.

“Stings like shit,” Ben admitted.

“I wanted tonight to be special,” Hux sighed, sitting down on the bed beside Ben.  Sitting wasn’t pleasant, but he was too tired to stand any longer.

“Well, I’ve never been violently attacked by an animal during sex before, so it was special…”

“Shut up,” Hux told him, but he leaned his head against Ben’s shoulder.  “I’ve tried so hard to make this work…”

Ben snorted.  “Sex shouldn’t involve that much thought,” Ben told him, wrapping his arm around Hux’s shoulders.  “I have to say, somehow in all of that, we managed not to fuck up my hand,” he said, showing Hux his hand which the nurse had cleaned as well just to be safe.

“Small miracles,” Hux said, taking Ben’s other hand in his.

It was close to four in the morning when Ben was released.  They were both exhausted as they walked out to the parking lot.  “I just want to go home,” Ben admitted as they got into the car.

“Of course,” Hux said, feeling completely numb.

The drive to Ben’s apartment was quiet.  Neither of them really knew what to say, and they were too tired to navigate each other’s feelings, so they said nothing.  

Ben actually wrapped his arm around Hux’s waist as they went up the stairs to his apartment.  Hux’s ass was still sore, and each step was frustrating.

“Your cat going to be alright?” Ben asked as he guided Hux to the bedroom.

“She was fine after the incident.  She’s fed, and she has her toys.  I’ll call my friend to go let her out when it isn’t four in the morning,” Hux told him.  “I’m just going to use your bathroom,” Hux said, stepping away before Ben could help him to bed.

“Sure,” Ben said, collapsing onto the bed himself.

Hux went to the bathroom and sat on the toilet.  He removed the pad from his underwear as he sat there and rolled it up and tossed it in the trash.  He was dozing on the toilet when Ben came and found him.

“You okay?” Ben asked, standing just inside the door.

“How long have I been in here?” Hux asked, shifting on the seat but making no moves to get up.

“More than thirty minutes.  Have you even shit, or are you still just leaking?” Ben asked.

“I’m not sure I would even be able to tell if I did,” Hux lamented.  “I just want the phantom wetness to go away.”

Ben chuckled, coming to kneel in front of Hux.  His face looked better.  It was still covered in scratches, but it wasn’t a puffy mess anymore.  “It was waterbased, Hux.  Most of what was left is probably absorbed by now,” Ben told him.

Hux glared at him.

Ben raised his hands in surrender.  “Fine, but you’ll be more comfortable in bed,” he reasoned.

“I don’t know if I can even get up,” Hux sighed.

Ben kissed his knee before getting up.  Hux wasn’t sure he’d ever live down Ben lifting him off the toilet and wiping for him, but there wasn’t much he could do about it.  They both hobbled to bed and collapsed into each other’s arms.  Hux finally drifted off, muttering about cactuses while Ben gently stroked his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: anal sex, anal fingering, rimming, too much lube


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to kyluxtrashcompactor for being an extra set of eyes and betaing this chapter for me...and for laughing with me about these two idiots.
> 
> Warnings at end of chapter

Hux woke to the sound of his phone ringing.  His whole body ached as he reached into his jacket pocket and removed it.  “Yes?” he rasped into the device.  It continued ringing, and he slowly realized he had to swipe to accept the call.  He did, and once again answered in a rasp.

“Where the hell are you?  Are you okay?” Phasma’s voice boomed through the little speaker.

“I had a rough night,” Hux said, not wanting to get into it.  He could feel Ben rousing beneath him, and a small part of him felt bad for waking him.

“A rough night?  I come over to your house to find an absolute mess.  Millicent had been locked in the bathroom.  Your room smelled god awful and was covered in lube and debris, and you were nowhere to be found. Excuse me for thinking you’d been murdered,” she shouted into the phone.

“I’m alive, if a little worse for wear,” Hux told her.

“Seriously?  What happened last night?” she demanded.  “I nearly had a heart attack this morning before you answered. I think I deserve to know.”

“I don’t have the strength to be laughed at right now, Colleen.  Despite my best attempts, I am a cactus,” Hux told her.

“Jesus Christ.  Are you okay?  Are you injured?” she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Hux was surprised when Ben plucked the phone from his hand and answered for him.  “He’s okay. More bruised ego than anything else.  His cat is very protective of him,” Ben told her.

“I’m assuming that you’re either Ben or a serial killer.” Hux could still hear her even though the phone was away from his ear.

“I am.”

Hux rolled his eyes when Ben didn’t clarify which one.

“He’s my best friend, so you better treat him right. He will take responsibility for whatever disaster happened here last night, so you better be gentle with him…”

“Can you watch his cat today?” Ben cut her off.

“She’s already in my car, ready to go,” Phasma retorted.

“Thank you,” Ben said, before hanging up on her.

“She won’t like that,” Hux said.  

“How’s your ass?” Ben asked.  

“Like my entire body, sore,” Hux admitted.

“Mine too.  Go back to sleep.  Your cat’s taken care of,” Ben told him, dropping his phone on the bedside table.  They both drifted off again on their own sides of the bed.

* * *

They finally got out of bed around noon.  Ben must have called the shop while Hux was asleep because when questioned, he told Hux it was taken care of.

They shuffled into the shower, and Ben actually let Hux wash him.  He stood quietly with his newly tattooed hand against the wall, away from the stream of the shower.  Hux stood behind him slowly lathering his hands and washing Ben’s body.  

Neither of them were in the mood for fooling around, but when Hux got too clinical, Ben would pull him close and kiss him.

“Stop acting like a robot. We’ve had plenty of bad sex. Last night wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened to us.  Admit it, you were enjoying yourself before the...attack,” Ben said, using his good hand to clean Hux as well.

“You just have to wonder if all we are is bad sex,” Hux said, turning in Ben’s arms to allow him to clean his back.

“That’s bullshit,” Ben told him.

“Is it?”

Ben growled and pressed Hux to the wall using his body. He ran his hand roughly down Hux’s side and bit his shoulder.  Hux couldn’t help the moan that escaped his lips.

“The sounds I wrung from you last night were _not_ bad sex,” Ben growled into his ear, reaching between Hux and the wall to pinch his nipple.  Hux shook at the rough treatment.  “The way you could hardly catch your breath when I touched you was not bad sex,” Ben continued, letting his hand travel down to cup Hux’s cock.  Hux whimpered as Ben began to stroke him.  “The way you fell apart when we were fucking was not bad sex.  Pull that brilliant head out of your ass for ten goddamn seconds.  I’m not a fucking vibrator designed to give you orgasms.  Stop acting like that’s all you’re here for, and if that _is_ all you’re here for then show yourself the door,” Ben told him, letting go of his aching cock and getting out of the shower.

Hux stood there, panting and gripping himself as Ben dried off and stood at the vanity.

“Do you have a razor I can use?” Hux asked, still facing the wall.  He’d deserved that.  It had been an awful thing to say, especially after the night they’d had.

Ben didn’t say anything, but Hux heard him open a drawer and put something on the counter.  He left without saying another thing to Hux.

Hux didn’t get out of the shower right away.  He tried to clean himself out as best he could without his kit.  He pressed his wet fingers into himself and tried to relax.

By the time he got out of the shower, the water was cold and his ass ached again.  He dried himself off and stood at the vanity.  Ben had put a new razor and a can of shaving cream on the counter for him.  

Hux took his time lathering up.  He tried to settle himself with the familiar routine.  He’d go out there and apologize for what he’d said, and they’d go back to normal.  

However, halfway through shaving, Ben walked back into the room still wearing only a towel.  He didn’t say anything as he walked right up to Hux and pressed his chest to Hux’s back.  

“I’m sorry about how aggressive I was.  I shouldn’t have done that,” Ben said, pressing his cheek to Hux’s neck.

“I shouldn’t have said it in the first place.  You were right.  I’ve so been hyper focused on the end goal that I’ve been ignoring everything else,” Hux told him.

“We’ll work it out,” Ben said, sounding unconcerned with their disastrous attempts so far.  Hux was starting to think this might kill one of them, but Ben didn’t seem to think so, or maybe he didn’t fear death by sex.

Ben lifted his head and met Hux’s eyes in the mirror.  Ben’s hair was a wet mess, and Hux’s face was half covered in shaving cream.  They were quite a sight.

Ben smirked at him, and Hux watched his eyes found the can of cream on the edge of the counter.

“Don’t,” Hux warned, eyeing the can as well and calculating if he could beat Ben to it.  It wasn’t likely, but it was worth a try.

A second later, Ben lunged for it.  Hux did as well and they grappled for it, but Ben quickly held it out of reach.  He had just enough height on Hux, especially with those long arms of his, that Hux couldn’t grab it.

“I will kill you if you do that,” Hux told him.

“It’s my shaving cream,” Ben retorted.  

“That has nothing to do with it, Ben.  Give it back,” Hux said through gritted teeth as Ben blocked him quite skillfully from reaching the canister.  

Ben spun in Hux’s grasp, boxing him out as it were.  Hux tried to reach around him, but Ben was too broad.  Even pinching and poking didn’t deter him.

Hux heard the telltale sound of Ben spraying the cream into his hand, and Hux had the sense to jump away from him before he could turn around which he did a second later.

“Don’t you dare,” Hux warned again as Ben held up his cream covered palm and the canister in his other hand like a weapon.  Gone was the sleepy, bedraggled Ben.  The man in front of Hux was all sharp eyes and calculation.  Hux would’ve appreciated it if he weren’t facing down a most uncomfortable situation.

“You’re already wearing some,” Ben said, motioning to Hux’s face where he had yet to shave.

“Ben, I’m not joking.  I will throw you out of this apartment completely naked if you so much as tou—”

Ben jumped at him as he was mid threat, and Hux jumped over the toilet seat like a rabbit to get further away from Ben.  That did little good as Ben charged forward, pressing down the button on the can.  Hux tried to dodge but the foamy spray caught him in the shoulder.  Hux tried to make a run for the door only for Ben to grab him around the waist and slap his palm down on Hux’s soft belly and smear it down to the edge of his towel. He then pressed the can to the top of Hux’s ass and sprayed beneath his towel and down the crack of his ass.  

Hux howled.  Never in his life had he made such an undignified noise as he did then, but it was completely justified.

Ben laughed as he held Hux tight, but Hux turned his head so he smeared the shaving cream on his face into Ben’s forehead and hair.  “You are a child, Ben. This is not the locker room at reform school,” Hux yelled, desperately trying to escape Ben’s hold to exact his revenge.

Ben dropped the can and wrapped his other arm around Hux until he stopped thrashing.  Hux tried to fight dirty, but Ben anticipated his every move.  He tried to stomp on Ben’s feet, but Ben dodged.  No amount of shaving cream that Hux smeared on him seemed to bother him, and it only made Hux more livid.  Finally, he dug his heel into Ben’s nuts, and they both went down as Ben grunted.

Hux rolled out of his grasp and grabbed the canister, aiming it as he went and spraying Ben from cock to chest with it.  Ben laughed as he cupped his testicles. “Come here,” he said, smiling softly at Hux despite the pain he was in.

“I’m going to castrate you,” Hux muttered, but he laid down beside Ben. He cringed as he felt the shaving cream squish between his cheeks. Hux lost some of his fire when Ben latched onto his earlobe and suckled it.  Hux’s threat dissolved into a moan, and Ben continued to nip and suck his ear, rolling against Hux.  

Hux was putty when Ben loosened his grasp, gently running his fingers up and down Hux’s sides.  Hux mumbled threats as he slowly relaxed.  He thought about retaliating further, but this felt too good.  His partners never did this sort of thing to him, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop Ben.  He told himself just one more moment, and he’d give Ben the punch he deserved.

Unfortunately for him, Ben was not so overwhelmed. Just as he was pulling back, Hux felt his towel tugged away from his waist and before he could react, Ben slapped a cream covered palm against his cheeks.  Hux jumped forward with a shout, then scrambled to chase Ben out of the room.  Ben was fast though, and he slammed the door behind him and held it shut, so Hux couldn’t follow him.

Hux looked down at himself in disgust.  “Outsmarted by a man with the sense of humor of a teenage boy,” Hux told himself as he climbed back into the shower to rinse.

When Hux was finally clean and finished shaving, he helped himself to a pair of Ben’s sweatpants and an extra large sweatshirt from the shop.

Ben was sitting in the kitchen with his phone to his ear, a laptop to his right, and a sketchbook in front of him.  “Yeah, I get what you’re saying about combining the two designs…” Ben was saying as Hux walked toward him.  “...no, it shouldn’t be a problem.  I’ll draw up some ideas, and you can see how you feel about them,” Ben said, sounding incredibly professional as he jotted something down on his pad.  “...no, no, I don’t mind at all.  It’s got to work for you.  If you weren’t feeling that design, we’ll do another one...yeah, I’ll work on it today.  I won’t be back to work for a few days, but I can schedule you either next weekend or the one after that…”

Hux went back into the bedroom so as not to distract him while he worked.  He found his own phone and made sure that Phasma hadn’t called again.  He could still hear Ben on the phone with a client down the hall as he fiddled with his own. He didn't want to disturb Ben. He hated when people interrupted him when he worked.

Finally, Hux decided to just call Phasma and see how Millicent was doing. He redialed her and waited as the obnoxious music played.

“Is something wrong?” Phasma asked, sounding no less concerned than she had hours ago.

“It would seem that while I have a brilliant mind, my interpersonal skills are lacking,” Hux told her. “Or the universe does not wish for me to experience the joys of orgasm,” he added.

“Hux, you do fine sabotaging yourself. The universe has nothing to do with it. Was it really that bad?” she asked, for once not immediately laughing at him.

Hux sighed. “It had started so well...” He thought about their date and the conversation they had over dinner. It had been a good date. It had even been good sex...until it wasn't.

“So, what went wrong?” she asked.

Hux laughed bitterly. “I don't think I've had sex with another person since I adopted Millie...”

“I mean that isn't really surprising,” she responded.

“I think she thought he was murdering me...” Hux ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed. “It had been really good. I wasn't expecting him to be such a good lover, considering our previous attempts, but he was giving and competent...We were loud. I couldn't help it...and he was on top of me...”

“Okay, I know how sex works,” she told him.

“Millie must have seen him as a threat...she must have jumped off the armoire that she's fond of hiding on...and she landed on his back. She sank her claws into him and then jumped between us and scratched at his face...he's allergic,” Hux finished with a weary sigh.

“Oh my god,” Phasma gasped over the line. “Millie's a hero. She thought she was rescuing you. Isn't that right, beautiful girl?”

Hux could hear Phasma praising his cat as she undoubtedly rubbed her affectionately.

“His entire face swelled up...and he jerked out of me...”

“Ouch.”

“Yes, _ouch_ ,” Hux deadpanned.

“But she thought he was hurting you. Who's my little soldier?” Phasma cooed like Millicent had single handedly defended Hux from a dozen armed intruders.

“I should go,” Hux said, no longer hearing Ben speaking down the hall.  

“I’ll keep an eye on our valiant knight, Hux.  Maybe try to make up for last night...if your ass isn’t too sore,” she suggested.

“Ben just assaulted me with shaving cream after our shower.  I have had my fill of being covered in sticky liquids for one day,” Hux said, standing up and going to the door to see if Ben was still working.  He had his head bowed over his pad as he sat in nothing but his underwear.

Phasma’s cackling over the line was not unexpected, nor was it appreciated.  “My God, he knows exactly how to get under your skin, doesn’t he?  Did you retaliate?”

“The man has height and bulk advantage on me…”

“That would never stop the wily Hux I know.  You’re going to let him get away with it...You must really like him.”

“Shut up.  I should go see what he’s doing.  It’s not safe to leave him to his own devices,” Hux said, hoping to avoid further questioning from Phasma.

She made a crude snort, but she didn’t argue.  “Sure, go see what he’s up to.  And tell him never to hang up on me again.”

They said their goodbyes, and Hux just sat there on the bed staring out the window. Eventually, Hux got up and walked back down the hall.

Ben was still hunched over his pad. Hux walked around until he was in front of him. Ben looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

“I didn't realize you wore glasses too,” Hux said, studying the black rimmed glasses that Ben was wearing.  They didn’t look bad on him, but they seemed out of place.

“I don't. I've been wearing contacts since I was twelve. Unless I can't wear my contacts for some reason, I never wear these,” Ben said, pressing his finger to the middle of them to push them up his nose. “Facial swelling and burning eyes don't really mix well with contacts,” he added.

“Yes, I understand,” Hux said. He was just getting back to wearing his own contacts all day again. “Well, you look busy, so I'll just—”

“Sit,” Ben said, pushing one of the chairs out with his foot.

“I don't want to distract you.”

“You won't,” Ben promised.

Hux took a seat and just watched Ben silently as he continued to sketch.

“You can ask what I'm doing. It isn't going to bother me,” Ben told him.

“What are you doing then?” Hux asked more to break the awkward silence than because he was confused.

“My client wants me to incorporate both of these designs. He was supposed to come in and get this one on Monday, but he called up this morning telling Edith that it wasn't going to work. So, she told him to email me his concerns and changes. Now, I'm working on a design that will work for him,” Ben explained, never looking up from where he was sketching out a strange geometric design.

“And you just go right back to the drawing board as it were?” Hux asked, trying to see the computer screen that Ben glanced at from time to time.

“That is, in fact, my job,” Ben said, the humor evident in his voice.

“I just meant...”

“I don't force shit on people because I have an ego that dictates my designs are always perfect. I am but a conduit for my clients’ desires.”

Hux gave him a look that he hoped conveyed how stupid he thought Ben sounded.  Ben didn’t seem notice or care. Hux changed the subject instead. “You use the pad?”

Ben looked down at his sketch pad then up at Hux. “It's habit. I start on here. Do a bunch of practice designs then scan them and send them to him. He picks one or none or asks me to combine them, then I make up a clean draft. They can tweak that too, or I can if it doesn't work for where they want it, and it goes from there,” Ben explained.

Hux nodded. “You like this part of it,” he said, catching the way Ben's eyes lit up as he explained his process.

“I enjoy tattooing people, but creating a design is special. You've got to know the body to know how to place something or create a design that will work on a given area. When I started out, I didn't get the nuances of it. I've got a couple clients who I've done extensive work for, and I honestly know their bodies better than my own. I know exactly how to place something on them, exactly how they'll react when I touch the needle to them. It's just something you get a feel for.”

“Fascinating,” Hux said, studying the image and trying to guess where the client would get it. He had no idea.

Ben shook his head like he didn't believe Hux as he went back to drawing. “There's coffee over there,” he said.

Hux turned and, sure enough, there was a pot of freshly brewed coffee on the counter. He didn’t know how he had missed the aroma, but as soon as Ben made him aware of it, it seemed to fill his senses. “Would you like a cup?” Hux asked, getting up and going to the cabinet that he'd seen Ben remove mugs from before.

“Sticking to water right now. Don't think I need any more stimulants in me,” Ben said, back at work again.

Hux poured himself the largest mug that Ben had, and then poured a glass of water for Ben. Hux placed it on the small patch of empty table in front of Ben and took his seat again, cradling his own mug.

Ben reached for the cup without looking, and he brought it to his lips. Hux watched the movement of his Adam's apple as it bobbed with each gulp. When Ben downed the glass in one go, Hux took it from his hand.

“I didn't realize you'd taken out all of the hardware,” Hux said, studying Ben's face. He'd been distracted by the glasses, but Ben wasn't wearing any facial jewelry. The snakebites were nothing more that two tiny holes beneath his bottom lip. The earrings that snaked up his ears were gone, and so were the eyebrow piercing and nose piercing.

“They get a little uncomfortable when your face is twice its normal size. Don't worry, the important ones are still there,” Ben teased him, reaching down and cupping himself through his underwear.

“If you were one of my students, I would give you detentions just for the things that come out of your mouth,” Hux told him, pouring more water for him.

“Why?  Because it would be unethical to punish me for the things you put in my mouth?”

“Like that. How did you even get into seminary?”

“There’s a shortage of priests...and my parents made large donations to the church,” Ben said, shrugging. “Would you punish me when I showed up for detention?” Ben asked.

“Certainly not. I would ignore you,” Hux told him, placing the water down in front of Ben and tipping Ben's face up to really study it. “You look like a respectable young man,” Hux told him.

“You sound like an asshole,” Ben retorted.

“I'm sorry. It's just very hard to imagine you in seminary, but this must have been what you looked like...”

“I had all of my facial piercings then,” Ben said seriously.

“No, you didn't.”

Ben pulled his phone from his pocket and went through it. He held it up when he found what he was looking for. “If you wanted to see, you could always ask. I know showing an interest in your partner is against your philosophy, but I'm not trying to hide who I am,” Ben told him.

Sure enough, he had a picture of himself in the robes and collar with all of his facial piercings still in place. It was strange, but at the same time it fit.

“When did you get them?”

“As soon as I graduated high school. Got the ears earlier, and kept my hair over them. The cock piercings came later,” Ben explained.

Hux shook his head, but he didn't say anything. He handed back Ben's phone and continued to drink his coffee as Ben went back to work. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, though there was still tension between them after their conversation in the shower. Ben seemed willing to ignore it though.

“Do you want me to drive you to the shop, so you can get your car?” Hux asked once he was finished and starting to get the itch to do something other than stare at Ben.  He enjoyed watching Ben work, but he felt useless without something to do.

“Edith will get me if I need her to. I'm happy to stay here,” Ben told him.

Hux frowned. Maybe that was his way of saying he'd rather that Hux left. Hux got up and cleaned up his mug and poured Ben a third cup of water before making his way back to the bedroom. He carefully folded his clothes, but then thought better of it. He shouldn't wear Ben's clothes home.

Hux was just pulling the sweatshirt over his head when Ben walked into the bedroom. He didn't say a word as he gripped Hux around the waist and pulled him against his body.  He kissed the back of Hux’s neck before stepping away again.

Ben didn't say anything. Instead, he stripped out of the boxers he'd been wearing and walked around the room to the closet in the corner. He didn't tell Hux to stay where he was, but Hux didn't move. He came back with a long black box and he dropped it onto the end of the bed.

“Are you planning to kill me or something?” Hux asked, scrutinizing the box but unable to tell what was in it.

Ben snorted, but he made no attempt to explain what was happening to Hux as he opened the box and looked inside. Eventually, he closed it again and looked right at Hux.

“When I was in the seminary, I collected things.”

“Okay.” That was the vaguest statement Ben had ever issued, and Hux knew it was designed to drive him crazy.

“I had sex for the first time the summer before I went away to seminary, and as most first times go, it was awful. I couldn't sit right for three days. The guy I had sex with told me that was normal. Said he'd never had any complaints, and I was probably just inexperienced and didn't know what I liked...so I went to every sex shop I could find and bought every toy I could afford that looked interesting. Through trial and quite a few errors, I figured out what works for me,” Ben explained, opening the box again. This time he opened it wide enough for Hux to see its contents.

Inside the box was a myriad of toys in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Hux couldn't even determine the use of quite a few of them.

“You keep saying that all we're good at is having terrible sex, but that’s what I believe you would call confirmation bias. You go in expecting the worst, and you end up looking for things to confirm that…”

“I know what confirmation bias is, Ben. I don’t see how I am looking for bad things to happen.  How was I supposed to know about your excessive ejaculate or Millie’s sudden blood lust?”

“I doesn’t matter.  If it wasn’t that, you’d find something else.  You’d say my dick is shaped weirdly or I make weird noises when I come…”

“You do, but I haven’t complained about that.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Good sex is about communication, which you seem deadset against. For someone whose job is entirely about communicating, you like to avoid doing it in your personal relationships. I can't know what you want if you don't tell me, and you can't know what I want if I don't tell you.”

“Is there a point to this?” Hux asked, looked back and forth between Ben and the box.

“Yeah. I think we should fuck ourselves while the other watches. We can show each other what we like, no judgment,” Ben told him.  “You want three fingers and the handle of a hair brush in your ass, let me know.  You enjoy being spanked, show me where.  Anything at all.”

“I'm not entirely sure that my ass is prepared for such an exercise,” Hux told him.  He couldn’t help being skeptical.  Posing for dirty pictures had really pushed the envelope for him.

“I don't just have toys that go inside you. There's vibrators, cock rings, sleeves, anything you can think of...”

“And we are just going to watch each other masturbate?” It seemed a little stupid to Hux, but then nothing else had really worked.

“No, we're going to encourage each other and help each other have better sex. I'll go first. Just pay attention,” Ben said. He didn't ask if Hux was on board. Hux wasn't exactly going to say no to watching Ben touch himself. The man had a great body, and the opportunity to watch it without feeling guilty was too much to pass up.  Maybe Phasma was right.  Ben knew exactly how to wind him up.

Ben stepped around the bed to the worktable in the corner of the room. He pulled the comfortable looking chair away from it and dragged it over to the end of the bed. “Sit,” Ben said, motioning to the seat.

Hux didn't argue even though he would've rather stayed on the bed. He supposed the chair would give him a better view of everything. So, he settled into the seat. He wasn't expecting Ben to begin to rub his shoulders as he sat, but Ben's fingers dug into his muscles and helped him relax.

“Why are you trying so hard? Most people get a taste of my personality and head in the opposite direction,” Hux said when Ben continued to touch him, rubbing his chest as well.

“Is liking you not reason enough?” Ben asked, stepping back and moving to the bed.

“I guess I can't understand why you like me. I'm nothing like you. I spend all of my time working even when I'm not at work. I am not particularly adventurous. I'm clearly not very experienced sexually—well not any more...”

“I spend all of my time either at the studio or here working on designs or researching different techniques and styles. I haven't dated since I started at the seminary. Yes, I've had sex. Yes, I've gotten pierced and tattooed, but I haven't had a relationship. I haven't had a person I could just be with. You know what I do on Friday nights after I close the studio? I sit in it and meditate. I ask God if I'm doing the right thing. I question every decision I've ever made and wonder if I'm ever meant to be happy,” Ben said as he pulled several toys out of the box and placed them down on the comforter. “The last few weeks, I've spent nights with you instead of self flagellating. I haven't asked myself if I've made the wrong decision leaving the church. I think that’s something worth trying for.”

Hux bit his lip. That was a rather heavy lead in to what they were about to do. He didn't know how Ben could have such strong feelings without bursting at the seams.

“Just relax and enjoy,” Ben told him, lying down on the bed and spreading his legs.

“I don't know about relaxing, but I'm sure this will be enjoyable,” Hux said, folding his hands in his lap.

Ben laughed as he opened the lube he'd removed with the toys. “Can you see?” Ben asked.

Hux could see everything from the end of the bed. He could probably count the hairs on his legs if he was so inclined. He wasn't. There were far more interesting things happening further up, like the new nebula tattoo on his inner thigh. Really taking the time to look at it, it was gorgeous.  It was also another reminder of how seriously Ben felt. “I can see,” Hux confirmed, already feeling a little hot.

Ben just nodded, bringing slick fingers down to stroke his cock. He kept his legs spread wide as he stroked himself, fingers loose and only using the first three and his thumb. He'd circle his thumb around the head on the upstroke, then every few strokes he used his pinkie to press between his shaft and testicles on the down stroke. As he grew harder, he carefully used his fingers to tease the piercings on his shaft, running his fingertips over the ball ends or flattening his fingers and adding pressure against the bars beneath the surface of his shaft.

Hux watched as Ben rubbed his pierced nipples as he stroked himself. He tweaked and teased them sharply as he maintained his rhythm.

Ben grunted softly as he got himself fully hard. Then he stopped and picked up the bottle again.

Hux tried to watch with clinical detachment, but it was rather hard to do when Ben was looking so delicious on the bed.

“I try to get myself hard before I start putting anything inside me because I go soft when I get penetrated,” Ben explained as he slicked his fingers then circled them around his hole. “It's hard for me to get an erection after that if I'm not really aroused beforehand.”

“Okay,” Hux said, suddenly feeling like he should have a pen and paper to keep notes on. However, he committed Ben's comment to memory. _Get him fully aroused before touching his ass._

Hux watched as Ben pressed one finger into himself almost roughly.

“I like it just on the brink of painful,” Ben said, taking his whole finger far faster than Hux had been able to. It wasn't without a bit of finesse, but Ben clearly knew exactly what he could take.

Sure enough, his erection flagged as he pressed inside himself. Ben didn't look any less turned on as he bore down on his finger before pulling it back out and beginning the dance of circling himself before pressing in all over again.

Hux felt his cock stir as he watched Ben's fingers work. While he was a little rough at first, he wasn't rushed. He didn't introduce a second finger into the mix until he'd worked his erection back to life by playing extensively with his piercings.

“Is that why you got them?” Hux asked, palming his own erection through his pants now. He didn't want to get himself off watching Ben if he was going to be expected to perform afterwards.  However, it would be torture not to touch at all.

“Got what?” Ben asked, voice rough as he slowly worked a second finger into himself beside the first.

“The piercings on your shaft. You play with them more than you stroke yourself,” Hux said.

“I guess that was part of it. They definitely help,” Ben agreed. He stopped talking as he pushed the second finger in all the way.

Hux watched as Ben took a moment to adjust. The view of his hole stretched around his fingers was beautiful. He loved the way Ben's legs trembled as he tried to hold them open.

“With my first few partners...” Ben began, pausing as he removed his fingers completely and coated them again. Hux's eyes didn't leave his ass as he clenched around air as though needing the fingers he'd taken away. “I just never got hard.” It sounded like he was going to say something else and then thought better of it, but Hux didn't prod him.

Hux could feel his own cock leaking by the time Ben picked up the first toy. It was a slim vibrator, and he took his time rolling a condom onto it and lubricating it before bringing it to his body. Hux was surprised when he didn't immediately press it into himself.

Instead, Ben turned it on and pressed it between his balls and ass. Hux watched as Ben's cock came back to full hardness when he added pressure there. His hips bucked into the air, and he moaned softly as he brought the vibrator up along his shaft. He whimpered as the vibrations went right through his piercings.

“If I can't get myself hard, this usually does the trick,” Ben said, moving the vibrator along his shaft a few times before pressing it just below the head for a moment. The sound he made was guttural and beautiful. His cock twitched, and Hux watched it begin to leak slightly.

Ben put the vibrator down on the bed again and picked up a cock ring. He closed it around himself and adjusted it before picking up the vibrator again.

Hux was rather shocked by the lengths Ben had to go to in order to keep himself hard even when playing with himself. He supposed that was one of the drawbacks of his size, or perhaps it had to do with what Hux had witnessed the other morning.

Ben didn't turn the vibrator on again until it was firmly inside of him. His hips jerked when he finally did, and Hux's breath caught as Ben started to hump the air as he gripped his thigh instead of stroking himself.

“Talk to me...” Ben said softly.

“What would you like me to talk...” Hux paused, realizing what Ben was asking for. “This is disgusting, Ben. You can't get hard because you know this is sinful behavior,” Hux told him softly, feeling his gut twist for feeding this. Ben was beautiful, and there was nothing sinful about that. But that wasn't the point of this, he supposed. He was learning what made Ben tick...without judgment.

“Yes,” Ben gasped, pulling the vibrator free and rolling onto his stomach. Hux watched with rapt attention as Ben raised his hips to kneel on the bed. His ass was right in front of Hux as Ben kept his face pressed to the mattress. “I like it like this,” Ben said, voice muffled a little by the comforter.

Ben pushed the vibrator back into himself, and he practically screamed as he turned it on again. Hux could only assume that the position helped him stimulate his prostate. Ben's cock twitched where it hung between his spread legs.

Hux wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything so hot in his entire life. Ben continued to whimper and whine as he fucked himself with the toy. He grew increasingly rough with it, and Hux couldn't tear his eyes away.

“Look at you...” Hux said, though his tone held more awe than disgust. “...you can't get enough of it. Shameful,” he added, though he wasn't sure it was convincing.

Ben's moan said otherwise as he gripped this sheets and removed the toy. He picked up another toy, this one a larger dildo, and he fumbled to open a condom for it.

This time, Hux rose from his seat and took the package from Ben's shaking fingers.

“I'll do it,” he said, opening it up and rolling it onto the dildo. He covered it in lube and handed it back to Ben.

“Thank you,” Ben said, bringing it to his body immediately. “Touch me?” he said, sounding hopeful.

“Where?” Hux asked.

“My back...”

Hux ran his fingertips down Ben's back as he worked the toy into himself. Ben shuddered beneath his touch. Slowly, Hux climbed onto the bed to kneel between Ben's legs. He didn't interfere with how Ben was pleasuring himself, but he ran his fingers over Ben's skin.

“I like...it deep,” Ben said, voice naturally pausing as he pushed the toy into himself. He kept the dildo in himself this time and moved it back and forth and up and down. “Like it when you grind against me,” he added by way of explanation.

Hux could see that Ben was close, so he quietly began to insult him as he pressed the dildo in deeply. Ben's voice hitched on a moan, and Hux watched as his balls tightened and he spilled himself all over the sheets.

Clearly, Ben didn't mind mess.

Ben panted hard as he shakily removed the toy and fell to his side. His breathing was still labored, and he shook violently every so often.

Hux knelt beside him and stroked his side and over his hip.

“Your turn,” Ben said, sounding completely exhausted.

Hux laughed softly, but he didn't move. He continued to touch Ben until he stopped shaking and could remove the ring from around his cock. Ben was covered in sweat as he laid there watching Hux.

“Don't be shy,” he said when Hux still didn't move.

“You've seen me masturbate,” Hux told him. He wasn't shy so much as sore from the night before.

“It's not the same on video...and this is about telling me what you like. You aren't just getting off or trying to be sexy for my entertainment. You're showing me how to better pleasure you.” It sounded so scientific and professional when Ben put it that way. “Just look in the box, and see if anything looks fun.”

Hux did open the box and was rather overwhelmed by the options.  He didn’t know where to begin.  He just picked up an odd looking contraption and looked at Ben.  “What does this do?” he asked.

“It’s for your mouth, keeps it opened wide so someone can fuck your face,” Ben explained like it was the most ordinary thing to have.  Hux was surprised he didn’t finish his explanation with, _you mean you don’t have one?_

Hux put that back in the box.  While he could see its use, especially for a man as endowed as Ben, he was not about to try it.  He sifted through the other options, avoiding anything he knew was designed to go in his ass.  

Ben had multiple wands, but Hux didn’t really have a clue how to use one properly.

“This is?” Hux asked, holding up a case filled with long metal instruments.

“Sounds.”

“Sounds…”

“They go down your urethra—”

“No thank you,” Hux said, dropping them back in the box.

“Wouldn’t suggest sharing those anyway,” Ben said, still sounding calm.  “Can I make a suggestion?” Ben asked, sitting up and looking into the box as well.

“Is it that easy to tell I have no idea what half of this does?” Hux asked, picking up a long pink dildo with a silicon head on each end.

“That’s for two people,” Ben said, sounding like that one should’ve been pretty obvious.

“At once?  People do that?” Hux asked.

“Do you not watch any porn?” Ben asked, removing one of the wands from the box.

“Nothing that would involve two people using the same toy...or any toys really.  Though I have watched quite a few videos of men being pegged.  Call it a guilty pleasure,” Hux told him.

“Why do you feel guilty about that?  I just had my dick in your ass last night.  What difference does it make if the dick is rubber?” Ben asked him.

“I often find myself wondering how it is that you are the former priest between the two of us,” Hux sighed.

Ben laughed softly at that.  “I never made it that far, but you do realize that priests watch porn, don’t you?”

Hux shook his head, feeling strangely out of his depth.

“Try this,” Ben changed the subject, holding out the wand.  “It has multiple settings, so you can find one that works best for you,” Ben explained, showing Hux how to change the strength of it.  “I wouldn’t use direct contact until you get a feel for it and find a setting you think you can tolerate.  It can be intense at first,” Ben told him.

“You know, I was perfectly adequate at getting myself off before you came into my life,” Hux told him, shimmying out of Ben’s sweatpants and sitting on the bed.

“You had to be,” Ben retorted.

Hux narrowed his eyes, but he held his tongue.

Ben sat at the end of the bed as Hux spread his legs and ran the wand over his thighs.  Hux closed his eyes and imagined it was Ben’ fingers touching him.  “I like to be touched,” Hux said, moving the wand closer to his erection.

“Okay,” Ben acknowledged.  

Hux moved the wand to the crease of his leg and crotch and moaned softly as the vibrations aroused the sensitive area.  He held his cock in one hand while he used the other to guide the wand over the shaft.  His hips bucked as the vibrations made his cock twitch.

“You like that?” Ben asked.

“It’s intense,” Hux told him.

“Why don’t you press the wand to the hand holding your dick?  You’ll still feel it, but your hand will act as a barrier,” Ben told him.

Hux followed the suggestion, and it was much easier to handle that way.  It was just enough to feel interesting without overwhelming him.

“Try the same thing with your balls,” Ben told him.

Hux did, but Ben tutted.  “Can I show you what I think will feel good to you?” he asked, rising from the seat.

“Okay,” Hux agreed.  

Ben knelt between his legs and took Hux’s hand and the wand.  He showed Hux how to cup himself while leaving a natural hole where his thumb and index fingers formed a circle.  He placed the head of the wand right against that circle, and Hux could feel the vibrations rock through him.

Hux moaned loudly as Ben changed the power on the wand.  “How is that?” he asked, helping Hux adjust his grip to move the vibrator around.

“Intense.  Fantastic,” Hux gasped.

“The wand can be painfully intense if you don’t know how to handle it.  I’ve found this is one of my favorite ways to use it,” Ben told him, handing over the wand so Hux could experiment.

Hux changed the pressure he used on the wand, how he cuppd himself, and the power of the vibrations.  It was an experience, and he had trouble remaining still as he tried new things.

“I have this vibrating cock ring that’s pretty awesome for everyone involved.  Maybe you could try wearing it when you fuck me,” Ben told him, rifling through the box and throwing the object in question to Hux.

“Put it on me,” Hux told him, hands shaking too much to do it himself.

Ben once again knelt between his legs and carefully put the ring on him and turned it on.  Hux arched off the bed as it sent vibrations through his shaft and well as through his testicles.

“Try stroking yourself now,” Ben told him.

Hux poured a tiny amount of lube onto his fingers and began stroking himself.  The sensation was powerful when mixed with the vibrations.  Hux moaned, altering his grip to be able to tease the head easily since the base of his shaft was taken care of.

Hux could feel Ben’s eyes watching him, studying his methods to better pleasure him later.  It should’ve felt uncomfortable, like he was being dissected, but he felt overwhelmingly close to Ben as Ben rested his palms on Hux’s thighs to help him hold his legs open.

“I’m close,” Hux warned him, fucking his fist in an uncontrolled rhythm.  

“What do you want me to do?” Ben asked softly.

“Bite me.  I like it when you bite me,” Hux admitted.  

Ben obliged, leaning forward and biting Hux’s inner thigh.  He wasn’t gentle about it, and Hux arched off the bed, crying out, as he felt himself teeter over the edge.

Hux spilled over his fist as he felt the vibrations of the toy rock through him.  It almost hurt to come after being denied last night and then again this morning, but the relief was still sweet.  It felt as though something shifted in him, and he could finally relax after being wound up for so long.

Ben was still nibbling at his thighs when he felt the final aftershocks ripple through him.  Hux panted as he lifted his arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead.  He couldn’t remember the last time he broke a sweat masturbating...probably never.

“Your thighs are sensitive,” Ben said, getting off the bed and returning quickly with a damp hand towel.  

“Aren’t everyone’s?” Hux asked, not complaining as Ben cleaned his stomach and cock before removing the ring that he’d thankfully turned off while Hux was mid orgasm.  

“Some more than others,” Ben said.  “Hand.”

Hux let Ben take his hand and clean the ejaculate from it.  When he was finished with Hux, he gave himself a quick wipe down then dropped the towel on the floor.  He laid down next to Hux and held him close.

“That wasn’t bad sex, was it?  And don’t you dare say that wasn’t sex,” Ben told him.

“That was...nice.  You’re very good looking when you touch yourself,” Hux told him, feeling a bit drunk after a successful sexual experience.  

“Nice?  I suppose I’ll have to take it.  Anything’s better than ‘we’re just bad sex,’” Ben said.

Hux tried to punch him, but it was hard to punch someone spooning him from behind.  He sighed and let himself ride the wave of endorphins.  “I’m sorry I said that.”

“I’m sorry you felt that way to begin with,” Ben said, kissing the back of his neck.

“Shut up.  You’re just going to whip that out every time I orgasm from now on,” Hux retorted.

“You should learn to watch what you say if you don’t want it used against you,” Ben told him smugly.

“I hate you.”

Ben’s snort was not appreciated, but Hux didn’t say anything.  He was too comfortable in Ben’s arms.

* * *

Hux woke for the second time that day to the sound of his phone ringing.  This time when he picked it up, he realized it was a reminder and not someone calling.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he tried to escape from Ben’s grip.  Ben just held him tighter.  “I need to go,” Hux nearly shouted.

Ben startled awake, nearly squeezing Hux to death in his confusion at being woken so suddenly.  “What’s wrong?” Ben asked, propping himself on his elbow and running his fingers through his messy hair.

“I’m going to be late to a dinner with a sponsor.  I can’t afford to lose their funding,” Hux said, rolling out of bed and searching for his clothes.  He’d thrown on casual clothes to take Ben to the hospital, and Ben’s clothes were far too big for him to borrow.  Hux cursed as he decided he would have to swing home before meeting the man at the restaurant.

“Okay, anything I can do?” Ben asked, sitting up and watching Hux dress as quickly as possible.

“Unless you have a suit in my size just sitting in your closet, then no,” Hux told him sharply.

“Actually, I might,” Ben said, still scratching his head like he had fleas or something.

“I’m not even close to your size, Ben.”

“No, but I was slimmer before seminary.  I definitely have some old slacks from seminary that will fit.  If you don’t mind dressing like a priest…”

“I will take anything that doesn’t require me to drive home and change,” Hux told him.

Ben got up and walked to his closet. He rooted around in it for a minute or two before pulling out an entire section of clothes.  He dropped them all on the bed and motioned for Hux to go through them.

There were plenty of black slacks which a quick look at the tags told Hux would fit if he cuffed them under at the bottom.  The shirts would be a little big; even skinny, Ben’s shoulders had to have been quite broad.  However, it was nothing he couldn’t work with.  He was a high school physics teacher after all. He was expected to be a little eccentric.

Hux pulled on the clothing, and Ben buttoned up his shirt as he was too anxious to get it right the first time.

“How do I look?” Hux asked once he was dressed.

“Like a wannabe priest,” Ben said with a shrug.

Hux gave him a look, but wannabe priest was definitely preferable to man-who-had-to-take-his-lover-to-the-hospital-at-3am-due-to-sex-accident.  “I can’t believe you were this lean,” Hux said as he put his phone and wallet in Ben’s pants.

“Like I said, I used to be able to suck my own dick.  That’s hard to do when you’re my size,” Ben told him.

Hux shook his head and headed out the door.

“Let me know how it goes,” Ben said as he followed Hux to the front door.  As Hux pulled on his shoes, Ben wrapped his arms around Hux’s waist and kissed the back of his neck.  

“Goodbye, Ben,” Hux said, kissing him quickly before leaving.

* * *

Hux was exhausted when he pulled into Phasma’s driveway several hours later.  He had just gotten to the restaurant in time, and thankfully Mr. Snoke hadn’t commented on his clothes or how haggard he must have looked.

Hux had thrown every bit of charm he had at the man, hoping that Snoke would be as generous as he had been the year before.  Hux explained his students’ ideas and the cost of materials and how much labor they poured into the competition.

Mr. Snoke had certainly been generous, but Hux’s heart wouldn’t stop racing all the way to Phasma’s house.

“You look like hell,” Phasma’s wife said when she opened the door to their house.

“Well, I’ve been through several rings of it in the last twenty-four hours, so I suppose it’s only fitting,” Hux retorted as he stepped inside.

“Did you jog here?” she asked, looking him up and down.

“Have you ever known me to go jogging for the fun of it?”

“Darling, don’t terrorize Hux.  His ass is sore already,” Phasma said, coming out of the living room holding Millicent.

“She hasn’t put your cat down all day,” Cindy said, closing the door and walking toward the kitchen.  “You enjoy Cab, yes?” she called over her shoulder.

“Cabernet would be wonderful right now.  Thank you, Cindy,” Hux called after her.  “I often forget that your wife is cut from the same cloth you are,” Hux said as Phasma studied him.  Millicent seemed to be giving him the same treatment, and it was off putting.

“That’s part of why I love her.  You do look like you ran here though.  What happened? Did you break up with Ben and sprint away?” Phasma asked, finally handing over Millicent.  

Thankfully, his cat settled in his arms without a fuss.  He couldn’t bear to have her mad at him.

“No. I simply came to pick up Millie, so I can take her home,” Hux defended himself.

“And Ben?”

“What about Ben?” Hux asked, feeling the exhaustion really grip him just at the thought of trying to figure that out.

“I’m worried about you.  This fun Tinder thing has turned into something dangerously intense,” she said.

“Well, there’s nothing to worry about.  We’re fine.  Everything is fine.  I should really be going.”

“Cindy is pouring you wine,” Phasma reminded him.  How clever of them to set such a trap, but he would not be lured.

“I’m afraid I am still recovering from last night’s activities and—”

“We have a bathroom.”

Hux narrowed his gaze as he looked at her.  She raised her hands in surrender.

“Just take care of yourself,” she told him, kissing his cheek before he retreated to his car again.

When it was just him and Millie in the car, Hux sighed.  “This is a mess, Millie.  He’s smart, and he’s funny.  He can handle my personality, which let’s face it, leaves something to be desired.  But he’s distracting!  I could’ve lost hundreds of dollars for our students because I was too busy with him,” Hux confided in his cat as he drove them home.

Millicent cleaned herself on the passenger seat as Hux drove.  Her hind leg extended into the air as she delicately licked herself.  She always found the need to clean herself when he freaked out.  Sometimes she attempted to clean him as well.

“I can’t risk what’s important just because he’s...special,” Hux said, sitting in his driveway and staring at his house.  He couldn’t stop his mind from thinking about how nice it would be to come home to Ben sitting at the kitchen table sketching or Ben making coffee in the morning just because he knew how much Hux depended on it.  Hux cursed softly.  “It would never work, Millie.  He’s allergic to you, and that’s a dealbreaker.  Me and you against the world, right sweet heart?” Hux asked, picking the large cat up and pressing his nose to her thick fur.  Millicent just licked at his messy hair.

Before Hux could get inside, his phone notified him that he had a new message.  Hux opened the door and let Millicent down before checking it.

— _How’d everything go?—_

Hux sighed.  Of course, Ben would check in on him right after he decided it wasn’t meant to be.

—Everything was fine.  He offered us far more money than I could’ve hoped for.  It will really help.  Thank you for the clothes—

— _Good, I’m glad.  Get some rest.  You deserve a break—_

—You’re the one that nearly died.—

— _Flesh wound.  It’ll take a lot more than your cat to kill me. Or scare me off—_

Hux felt his breath hitch.  Was Ben keeping tabs on him?  Had he just heard their conversation in the car?

— _So, if you’re free one night when your ass is feeling better and I’m not swollen, I thought we could test out what we learned today—_

—I will have to check my schedule—Hux bit his bottom lip and watched Millie as she wove around his legs.  He should just end it right here before he got himself in too deep. —I’d like that though.  Let me get back to you tomorrow.—

— _Okay, I’ll be thinking about you on my bed this morning as I jack it tonight—_

Hux took a steadying breath.  Now, he’d be thinking about Ben naked on the bed while he attempted to sleep.  There would be no rest.  His phone buzzed and he received a picture.  Hux’s eyes widened as he looked at the picture.

It was taken between Ben’s legs, showing the pink double sided dildo hanging out of him almost like a tail.  — _Wish you were here to join me—_

Hux turned his phone off completely as he fed Millie and prepared for bed.  When he finally laid down for the night, he turned it on again.  There was a video as well, and Hux watched with a slack jaw as Ben fucked himself with the long toy.  Everyone once in a while he'd stop working himself and just shake his ass back and forth, leaving the dildo to swing about and causing Ben to moan loudly.  

—Christ!—

— _Thought you’d like that.  Sweet dreams—_

The bastard.  Hux stripped down and jerked off with the video on loop.  He’d handle this situation tomorrow.  For tonight, he’d enjoy Ben’s shamelessness.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: sex toys, vibrators, dildos, cock rings, masturbation, inappropriate use of shaving cream (no, not as lube!)


	11. Chapter 11

—I don’t think I will be able to see you this week.  I have students staying after school every day, and with the trimester ending soon, I need to work out grades and whether I need to give a few more assessments to show improvement—

Hux was in his classroom Monday evening when he finally messaged Ben.  Students had left hours ago, but he’d been busy grading one class’ tests and another’s science fair progress reports.  He was tired.  He’d literally given the students a template to use for their progress reports, and he’d made it available in Google Classroom even if they lost the paper one.  Still, he had received no less than seven completely off topic and, frankly, ungradable reports.  

He felt like he’d taught his students nothing when, as seniors, they couldn’t identify the variables in their own experiments.  

— _You don’t have to explain.  I know you’re busy.  Maybe next week or over the weekend—_ Ben responded with understanding Hux could so easily take advantage of.  

—Did you go to work today?—

— _Yeah.  They gave our apprentice the day off and took full advantage of having me do their grunt work.  Said it served me right for getting a hand tat then hugging a cat. I’ve been setting up and cleaning up rooms for years.  It’s not like we strictly have the apprentice handle it, but they sure can bust balls—_

Hux could only imagine the ribbing Ben received from his colleagues.  They all seemed very willing to tease Ben when given the opportunity.

—Are you in trouble for not being able to work?—

— _No.  Clients have been understanding.  I’ve got just about all of them rescheduled.  A couple agreed to work with the other artists who had openings—_

—So, you just get to play Cinderella, cleaning up everyone else’s messes?—

— _Don’t let them hear that.  They’ll get me an apron and a broom.—_

Hux laughed as he read that.  He didn’t know half of what went into Ben’s job, but it was always clear that Ben loved all of it, even the cleaning up.  

—I’d prefer they give you a feather duster— Hux wasn’t sure where that came from, but he couldn’t deny the idea of Ben in a maid’s outfit was quite appealing.

— _I thought you had work to do, and here you are getting fresh with me.—_

—I’m rewarding myself for completing all of my grading for the evening.—

— _The shop closes at eight tonight.  I could be home by nine...—_

—I’ll be asleep by then.  Long day.—

— _Another time then—_

Hux sighed.  Ben’s offer was tempting, but it just wasn’t practical.  Hux packed up and headed home.  When he got there, he fed Millicent and ate leftovers straight out of the fridge without even heating them.  Then he went to bed and got another restless night’s sleep.

* * *

— _I’ve been doing all of the piercings since I can do that with a sore hand while I recover from cat scratch fever.  Pierced a woman’s nipples today.  Would you ever considered getting yours pierced?—_

—No.— Hux sighed in exasperation.  How was he supposed to take Ben seriously when he asked him questions like that?

— _They’re a lot of fun.—_

—Is it fun when you set metal detectors off?—

— _Oh man.  We decided to fly to Vegas for their convention one year.  I set it off with my dick...that TSA agent.  You should’ve seen his eyes when he got a look at my dick. Guy’s probably still having nightmares.  Asked me if I was crazy, and I told him how I did the Prince Albert myself.  He nearly fainted. Happened on the way back too.  That was definitely more uncomfortable for them than me—_

—Remind me never to go on vacation with you— Hux could’ve kicked himself for sending that.  

— _It would be worth it.  Drinks by the pool.  Sex in a beachfront villa.  Hot tub sex—_

—We can’t even have in-bed missionary sex. How would we manage hot tub sex or beach sex or any other significantly more complicated coituses?—

— _Wouldn’t it be coiti?—_

—I have work to do.— Hux put his phone down and vowed not to respond to any more of Ben’s nonsense until he’d graded this evening’s assignments.  He had two more classes of progress reports to look through tonight, and it would seem that no amount of staggering the assignments was enough for his brain.  If he read one more report that claimed a single experiment was all that was necessary, he was going to lose it.

His phone buzzed again after a couple of minutes.  Hux had just read the most typo riddled sentence of the evening, and he threw his promise to himself out the window.  He opened the message and paused.

Ben had sent him an advertisement for reasonably priced Caribbean vacations.  — _When’s your spring break?—_

—I am not in college.  I don’t go on vacation for spring break.—

— _You should. You deserve a break.—_

Hux ran his fingers through his hair and groaned in frustration.  —Ben, it’s only been a couple weeks.  We probably won’t be together in two months when I have spring break anyway.  It’s not worth the risk of planning a vacation when we hardly know each other.—  He felt like an ass as soon as he sent it, but he couldn’t spend that kind of money on someone he’d known for less than a month.

— _Maybe next year then.—_

Hux could feel Ben’s disappointment coupled with his refusal to accept Hux’s words.  Hux sighed as he tried to think of something to say.  He couldn’t concentrate on his work after that.  All he could think about were sandy beaches and quiet evenings with Ben.  

Hux found himself searching for B&Bs that were close enough to drive to but far enough to feel like a getaway.  He bookmarked a few of them before packing it in for the second night of late grading.  He closed the lights to his room and headed home.

* * *

Hux spent the rest of the week trapped in the same cycle of too many hours at the school and too little food and sleep.  By Friday afternoon, he was ready to spend the entire weekend in bed.  Part of him wanted to ask Ben to join him in bed, but he knew that no rest would be had if they got together.  One of them would likely end up in the hospital, and Hux didn’t like the odds that it would be him this time.

Instead, he lied and said he had plans with Phasma and her wife this weekend when Ben casually asked if he was busy.  

What Hux actually did was spend two hours masturbating to the video of Ben and the long dildo.  When his dick was practically raw from overzealous masturbation, Hux thought about Ben’s story about buying every toy that looked interesting.

Hux spent Saturday morning driving over an hour to a sex shop he didn’t have to worry about running into a parent of one of his students...or, god forbid, one of his actual students.  He turned up the collar of his coat as he walked into the shop, feeling like a pervert just for entering the place.

“Good morning, can I help you with anything?” the woman behind the counter asked.

“No, thank you,” Hux said, almost walking right back out.

“Well, if you need anything let me know.”

Hux walked through the empty store, looking at everything they had to offer.  A lot of it was novelty stuff, fuzzy handcuffs, sex dice, skimpy lingerie with feather trim.  Toward the back, there were actual toys on display.  

“Just pick something interesting.  Trial and error.  It’s science,” he muttered to himself as he looked at all of the dildos the shop offered.  Some were incredibly thick, and others were very long.  Hux felt like some deranged version of Goldilocks as he walked down the aisle. Ben would’ve been helpful…

—I’m in a sex shop fifty miles from home, looking at dildos, and it’s all your fault— Hux messaged him, standing at the end of the aisle and looking at possibly the two largest dildos in existence.  He would not be purchasing those.

— _Whoa, why are you so far away?  There’s a shop two doors down from the tattoo parlor.—_

—Can’t risk running into students or parents.  Sex shops are exactly the sort of place newly turned eighteen year olds go.—

— _You know the internet exists?  You can buy online and have them delivered to your door.  No one knows that way, not even the mailman.—_

—This wasn’t planned.  Was just thinking about what you’d said about trial and error.—

— _Don’t buy anything.  Come back here.  I’ll talk to Maz about letting us come in after hours tonight.—_

—You don’t have to.  It was a stupid idea.—

— _It wasn’t.  You’re stressed.  Orgasms are good stress relief—_

“You planning to buy anything, Sir, or are you just here to stare at the big guns?” the woman behind the counter asked.  She sounded like this was not the first time that she had had to ask that question, and that got Hux moving.

Hux didn’t answer her.  Instead he marched right out of the shop.  He cursed himself the whole ride back for not even being able to buy himself a sextoy without Ben.  However, he went home and collected his planning materials and assignment briefcase then headed to the shop.

* * *

Hux pulled into the lot of the tattoo parlor and looked down at the sex shop two fronts past it.  Maz’s Mystical Marital Aides. Hux sighed.  This was a bad idea, but Ben was standing outside his own shop, smoking a cigarette, looking very James Dean in his leather jacket.

Ben didn’t wait for him to cross the lot before walking over to him with a mischievous smile.  

“Don’t,” Hux said before Ben could open his mouth.  

Ben just grinned at him with the cigarette hanging from his lips.  He pulled Hux into a tight embrace, removing the cigarette as he practically grinded against Hux for all to see.  

“Since when did you smoke?” Hux asked, turning his face away when Ben went in for a kiss.

“Since you put the thought of you experimenting with sextoys into my head.  I needed a cigarette while I cooled off,” Ben told him, pecking Hux’s cheek instead.

“You are a scoundrel. Have you called me here just to humiliate me?” Hux asked, wiping at his cheek.

“No, but that will certainly be part of the fun,” Ben said, grinning as he dropped the cigarette and put it out with his boot.  “I’m glad you texted me,” he said seriously.  “I want to help.  It can be overwhelming...and I want us to be more than just bad sex.”

“Will I ever live that down?”

“No.  Come on.  Maz will close for us,” Ben told him.

“What?” Hux was shocked.  He was planning on having several hours to mentally prepare.

“She loves me...okay, she doesn’t, but I’m one of her biggest customers, so she’ll do it for me,” Ben told him, wrapping his arm around Hux’s waist and guiding him toward the sex shop.

“What if someone sees me walk in here?”

“I can get you glasses and a mustache if that’ll make you feel better.”

“You are still laughing at me.”

“You’re still being ridiculous. Visiting a sex shop isn’t scandalous.  You could be buying a present for someone or something,” Ben said, holding Hux close to his body, probably because he suspected Hux of trying to run away. Hux was offended by the insinuation.  He had never run from anything...other than relationships.  A few dildos weren’t going to frighten him off.

Hux reconsidered that stance when the first thing he saw upon entering the shop was a massive statue of a penis, complete with veins and testicles.  And to make matters that much more obscene, it was a fountain.  Water dribbled out of the head and down over the shaft into a little pool, where little dildos floated.

“I—”

“Don’t be freaked out.  She received it as a gift,” Ben told him, but Hux wasn’t actually sure that made it better.  

“Kylo, you better not be making me close the shop because you’ve run out of lube again,” a very short elderly woman said, walking toward them.

“This is Hux, my boyfriend,” Ben said, ignoring Maz’s barb.  “He’s not really comfortable with sex shops,” Ben told her.

“I see. Welcome, Hux,” she said, offering her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Hux told her, steeling his back and taking her hand.

“What are you looking for, big, small, vibrating, novelty?” she rattled off as she waved them to follow her past the massive penis fountain.

“I don’t know,” Hux admitted.

“He’s new to this,” Ben told her.

“Starter kit then,” Maz said, turning sharply down one of the aisles.  The store was set up like a maze, with the displays reaching high enough that even Ben couldn’t see over them.  It allowed for privacy, but it was also rather daunting.

“What constitutes a starter kit for sex toys?” Hux whispered into Ben’s ear.

“Stop.” Maz’s voice left no room for argument.  “Turn around slowly,” she ordered, motioning for Hux to turn.

Hux looked at Ben, but Ben just gave him a small push.  

Maz tilted her head from side to side.  “I think this will be best,” she said, walking down the aisle a little further and picking up a small box from one of the shelves then turning to the opposite display and lifting up another box.  

Hux watched with unblinking eyes as Maz picked out no less than a dozen things from the shelves.  Ben was standing at his side keeping all thoughts to himself for once as Maz compiled a “starter kit” for Hux.

“If you’re unused to sex toys, these should require the least experience.  A small plug.  Thin but not too thin.  Good for teasing yourself, and preparing for _other_ things.  Bullet vibrator, good for stimulating the penis, testicles, perineum, and sphincter.  It has several settings, so you can try different things.  Five inch vibrator.  You may think you want to ride dragons, but it’s best to start with one of these babies.  I suggest starting with the plug and the bullet first.  It might not look like a monster, but it will feel like one if you go in half cocked,” Maz explained, holding up the boxes of each toy as she spoke.

Hux just stood there aghast as the tiny woman explained this to him as though it was something as commonplace as how to operate a new dishwasher.  In fact, he wished someone had explained his dishwasher this thoroughly.

“Two types of lubricant.  This one is just regular old water based.  This one will have a mild numbing effect, can be helpful if you can’t get yourself to relax.  Do not force anything in, but the numbing can help with the mental barrier I’ve found.  Condoms.  You want to use your toys on others, condoms are a must.  Vibrating cock ring.  This one’s a crowd pleaser, never had any complaints about this thing,” she said, holding up the box for the ring.

Hux felt himself blushing as Maz went on to explain every last thing she considered a must have for a beginner.  Ben piped up a few times, mentioning how much he liked this or that.  He didn’t contradict a single one of her choices though.

“That’s what I suggest, but you are welcome to look around and pick out your own items as well,” she told them.

“We’ll take all of those, but I want to pick out a few things too,” Ben said, taking Hux’s arm.

“I can’t afford all of that.  That had to be over a hundred dollars worth of sex toys,” Hux hissed as Ben dragged him down another aisle.

“My treat,” Ben said, stopping in front of a display of novelty items.

“No.  I am not letting you buy me sex toys…”

“Hux, just let me do this for you.  You’re too stubborn to let yourself have this, so let me do it for you,” Ben told him.

“Ben…”

“Hux. It’s no big deal.  I’m not broke. This isn’t going to break me, but I think it has the potential to be great for you,” Ben said, picking up a box from the display and holding it out to Hux.

“Dice?”

“Sex dice. You can roll them, and it can choose what you do for you.  It’ll help you try new stuff,” Ben said, then leaned in close.  “Or we could play with them together…”

“We have enough trouble when we don’t leave our sex up to luck. I can’t even imagine the catastrophes we would encounter using these,” Hux said, trying to put them back on the shelf, but Ben grabbed them and dropped them in the basket.  Hux sighed.

Hux followed Ben through the maze of shelves, praying Ben wouldn’t get any more carried away than he already had gotten.

“How about this?” Ben asked, holding out a bottle to him.  

“Cherry flavored lube? It’s bad enough that I had to wear a pad because of the ridiculous amount of lube you’ve used on my ass. I don’t want a sundae pouring out of my ass next time,” Hux hissed.

Ben snorted, leaning in again. “But then I’d have even more reason to lick it ou—”

“Shut up,” Hux said, pushing Ben’s face away from him in hopes that it would discourage further nonsense. He was wrong.

“You love it when I stick my tongue in you.  I’ve been told I have a great tongue for rimming,” Ben  announced to the empty shop...empty save for Maz.  The older woman’s cackles could be heard halfway across the shop.

Hux could feel his cheeks turning bright red.  “Enough,” he said, putting the lube on the shelf again.  This time, Ben didn’t put it back in the basket.

Ben pulled Hux around another turn in the maze, and Hux walked right into Ben’s broad back as he stood looking at a massive display.

“No.”

“They have quick release stuff,” Ben argued.

“Not after you left me tied up while you had explosive diarrhea,” Hux insisted.

“How was I supposed to know that would happen?”

“You ate at that filthy restaurant.  How could you not know?” Hux retorted.

“It was a one time thing.  We should try again.  You can tie me up this time.”

“And then what?  Let Millicent eat you alive?”

“Okay, fine. No restraints, but I’m getting blindfolds.”

Hux shook his head, but he didn’t argue.  

By the time they walked up to the counter, Ben had purchased a whole assortment of ridiculous toys to go with the “starter kit.” After seeing the other items available, the kit seemed very tame.  

Maz smiled as she began to ring them up.  “Find everything okay?” she asked, swiping the items over the scanner.

Ben nodded, sliding his palm down Hux’s back to rest just above his ass.  “I think this was a successful mission,” he said.

“You’re a lucky guy,” Maz said, turning to Hux.  “Wanting your partner to have good orgasms with or without you is a sign of a good man.”

Hux snorted.  “Or the sex has been so abysmal that he’s hoping practice will make perfect.”

Maz cackled again, slapping her hand on the counter.  “He’s got fire,” she said, shaking her head as she rang up more of the items.  

Ben grinned at Hux, pulling him close.  Hux rolled his eyes, but didn’t push Ben away.  

“I still think this is a waste of money,” Hux said as they walked past the cock fountain on their way out of the shop.

“You’ll see. This is a good thing,” Ben said.

“Only time will tell.”

“You’re coming to the shop,” Ben said.  It wasn’t a question.

“I have grading to do,” Hux said, pulling in the direction of his car.

“Do it in the shop.  It’ll be quiet today.  Then I’ll take you to dinner...and then we can test out some of your new toys,” Ben suggested.

“Or I could go home and test them now…”

Ben groaned, biting his bottom lip.  “Fuck.  Bring them into the shop, and you can test them in the lounge. No one will bother you.”

“You are incorrigible,” Hux said, pulling away and heading for his car.

“Fine, just come hang out.  You deserve a break.”

Hux waved him off as he walked away.

“See you inside, Ben called after him.

Hux cursed how confident he was that Hux would come back inside.  He also cursed that Ben was right.

When Hux came into the shop after trading the bags of sextoys for grading materials, Ben was in one of the cubicles in the back where they actually did the tattooing.  Edith was out front managing the store while Ben and at least one other artist were with clients.

“You want to wait in the breakroom?” she asked when she saw his briefcase.  

No one was waiting out front today.  There was no crying, no hostility.  There were just empty couches and walls covered in pre-made designs as well as binders of portfolios on the coffee table.  

“How long will he be?” Hux asked.

“Probably a few hours.  He’s outlining today, and it’s a pretty big design,” she said, tapping her nails on the countertop.  

Hux sighed and took a seat on one of the armchairs.  “Are you expecting many clients?” he asked.

“Nope.  Everyone’s booked up today, so no walk-ins unless its for a consult.  We space our clients enough that there shouldn’t be back up,” she said.

“Then, I’ll just stay here if you don’t mind.”

“Go right ahead.”

Hux sat, and looked to the glass partition between the sitting area and the first cubicle. Ben was inside the cubicle, leaning over a man sitting on a table. He had a razor in his gloved hands and was carefully running it over the man's calf.

Trying not to stare, Hux settled into the seat and went through the paperwork he'd brought with him. It wasn't the ideal place for grading, but progress reports should've been easy to grade. He read through the first few, making notes as he went.  He was definitely more awake today, and the task didn’t seem as daunting.  Maybe this class had just followed directions unlike the others.

Edith whistled after nearly an hour of grading, and Hux looked up from what he was doing. She hitched her thumb over her shoulder, and Hux looked through the partition again.

Ben smiled at him, waving his gloved hand at Hux and calling him over.  

Hux looked at Edith.  “If he wants you back there, go ahead,” she said like she didn’t know why he was asking her about it.

Hux got out of his seat and put his grading away before walking down the hall that led to each of the semi-private rooms.  He turned at the first doorway, and looked into the room where Ben was sitting on a stool, carefully outlining his design on the man’s thick calf.

“Hux, this is Marc.  Marc, this is the guy I was telling you about,” Ben said, lifting the gun from the man’s skin and wiping up the area he’d just inked.

The burly man looked over at Hux and nodded to him.  “Kylo says you teach high schoolers.”

“I do,” Hux confirmed.

“Man, you’ve got to have the patience of a saint,” he said.

“Not particularly.  They just know I’m trigger happy when it comes to handing out detentions,” Hux told him, leaning against the doorframe.

“Hux has threatened to give me detention,” Kylo added as he waved Hux closer.

The man on the table laughed.  

“I said I would give you a detention _if_ you were one of my students.  I made no threats unless you’re planning to go back to high school,” Hux said, cautiously stepping into the cubicle.

“You’d have to wait in line.  This guy lived in detention,” Marc said.

“You knew Ben in high school?” Hux asked, taken aback.  He didn’t know why he believed Ben would have no contact with those he’d known growing up.  Perhaps because Hux had no contact with anyone he’d grown up with.  He tried very hard to ignore every reunion notice that came in the mail.

“I’ve known Marc since we were twelve,” Ben said.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, we used to get into trouble together until this one decided to be a priest.  Didn’t hear from him for a couple years, and then I see a guy come into my shop with a tattoo that could only have been done by Kylo.  This guy had such an art style in high school, he had to stop graffitiing the lockers because everyone knew his style.  Didn’t see him again until I ran into him at a tattoo expo, boasting one of the most impressive portfolios I’ve ever seen.”

“We caught up while I gave him this one,” Ben said, pointing to a dagger that covered the man’s forearm.  

“He’s been my only artist since,” Marc said, grinning up at Kylo.

“Impressive,” Hux said, thoughts racing as he looked at the visible tattoos on the man’s skin.  

“He do any for you?” Marc asked, holding his body still as Kylo began to work again.  

Hux scoffed then held in a cringe.  That was not an appropriate response.

“Hux is not a tattoo person,” Ben said, sounding completely unbothered by it.  

“Seriously?  You’re dating a guy who isn’t into ink?” Marc sounded quite bewildered.

Hux shifted slightly against the doorframe.

“Hux is Hux.  He doesn’t need to wear a tattoo to show his convictions.  He is more than willing to tell you about them,” Ben said, looking up as he pulled the needle back.

“Thankfully your art skills are better than your comedy skills,” Hux told him.

“I’ll be done here around a quarter to six if you want to get a burger.”

“Okay.  How is the hand?” Hux asked, realizing he hadn’t asked Ben about it while they are next door.  He’d been so stressed about the shop that he’d completely forgotten to see how Ben had been healing.

“It’s fine,” Ben assured him.

“And your eyes?” Hux asked, noting that Ben was still wearing glasses.

“They’re good.  Glasses have just been easier this week.”

“You really had an allergic reaction to a cat scratch?” Marc asked.

Ben snorted.  “I was balls deep, man.  I was helpless, and Hux’s cat is vicious.”

“Millie has never had a problem with anyone before now,” Hux insisted, ignoring the fact that Kylo just told this man that he’d been balls deep in him.  The man hadn’t even batted an eye.

“Smart cat,” Marc said.

“Fuck you,” Ben retorted immediately.  “I’m the one holding the needle.  Be nice, or I’ll give you a tattoo you’ll never live down,” Ben said darkly.

Marc just laughed at him.  Ben gave him a shove while he was once again paused from working.  

“Was there anything else you needed? I feel like I’m being a distraction,” Hux said, though both men were so focused on trading insults and teasing each other that Hux was fairly certain they’d forgotten he was even there.

Both men looked up at him at the same time as though just remembering his presence. “Just thought you might like to watch the magic happen,” Ben told him, nodding at a stool in the corner of the cubicle.

“You mean, do I want to watch the magic between the two of you?” Hux asked, berating himself mentally for how jealous that made him sound.  He couldn’t help it.  These two were so comfortable around each other, and they seemed to click perfectly.  It was nothing like how Hux and Ben struggled.

Ben gave him a hard look, telling Hux he wasn’t completely impressed with the comment either.

Marc, however, laughed even harder.  “Shit,” Marc said, wiping at his eyes.  “I need to piss,” he said, getting up off the table after Ben wiped up blood and ink on his calf again.

“I’m sorry…”

“You don’t have to watch.”

“I just don’t want to intrude.  Is it even sanitary for me to be in here?”

Ben gave him an odd look.  “Do you plan to sneeze on him or something? Are you having trouble holding yourself back from licking the fresh ink?” Ben asked, making Hux fully aware of how silly he found the concern.

“I have grading to do.”

“You always have grading to do.”

“Yes, that is part of being a teacher of nearly two hundred students.”

“You wear it like a shield.”

“Says the man covered in ink.”

“I’m at work right now, so I’m not going to get into it with you. I don’t show up at your school and start fights while you try to teach…”

“No, you send lingerie to my classroom.”

Ben’s mouth snapped shut.  “We can fight about this at dinner.  Just go finish your grading,” Ben told him.

“Damn you,” Hux cursed, walking to Ben and cupping his face roughly before planting a kiss on his lips.  It wasn’t gentle, and it wasn’t a peck either.  Ben didn’t touch him with his gloves hands, but he returned the kiss hungrily.  He nipped at Hux’s lips and pressed his tongue into  Hux’s mouth.

It was dizzying, and Hux poured his frustration into it as he met each of Ben’s probing advances with hunger of his own.  He tugged at Ben’s hair which had been pulled into a messy bun while he worked.

“You infuriate me,” Hux breathed as he pulled back.

“Likewise,” Ben retorted, stretching up to catch Hux’s lips again.  He bit Hux’s lip and sucked it until it hurt, and Hux tugged at his hair harder.

“Um, I don’t want to interrupt, but this tattoo isn’t going to outline itself,” Marc said from behind them.  He didn’t sound annoyed at all.  In fact, he sounded completely amused by their display.

“Fuck.” Ben stood abruptly, tugging off his gloves in the process and stepping away from Hux.  “Need to piss.  Be right back,” he said, exiting the cubicle before either Hux or Marc could say anything.

“Never seen that before,” Marc said as Hux stood facing the counter, trying to compose himself.  

“Seen what?”

“Kylo flustered.  That man could play it cool in a house fire,” Marc said, sitting down on the table again.

“You’ve clearly never seen him after eating from Pepe’s Taco World,” Hux said, shaking his head and walking out of the cubicle.  Marc’s laughter followed him.

Ben was just walking back up the hall as Hux stepped out.  His hair was up in a bun again, though it was even messier than before.  His glasses were on the top of his head like he’d taken the opportunity to splash water on his face.  Ben was opening and closing his fists, and Hux briefly watched the dragon move with the muscles beneath the skin.

Hux didn’t wait for Ben to catch up.  He walked back to where his grading was spread out in the waiting area.  

A man was at the desk talking to Edith about his appointment, but Hux ignored it.  He took out the next report and dove into it, trying to ignore the racing thoughts.  

_You are not jealous.  He has friends from school.  It was a shock, nothing else._

Hux cursed to himself as he realized he hadn’t read a thing as his mind drifted to Ben.  He glanced up through the viewing window, and Ben was hard at work again.  He could see him speaking to Marc as he worked, but he looked relaxed and completely professional again.  Hux was a distraction, and not a good one.

Giving in to his frustration, Hux packed up his things and walked to his car.  He put his grading in the trunk, and just stood there looking at the front of the shop.  He could see Edith still talking to the customer, and he could even see some of the art on the walls.  Ben’s art.  

Hux shook his head and walked over to the burger place on the end of the strip.  He went inside and ordered himself a gin and tonic as he sat at the bar area. The bartender didn’t even glance at the clock as she placed it on the napkin in front of him.

“Want a food menu?” she asked, pulling one off the pile behind the bar.

“No. I have a dinner date later,” Hux said, taking a large sip of his drink.

“Are you sure pre-date G&Ts are a good idea?” she asked.

Hux blinked at her.  “I think it is exactly what I need.  I’ve been mustering up the will to dump him for weeks…”

“Why haven’t you then?” she asked.  She leaned against the counter, looking intrigued.  

“He’s... _addicting_.  It’s awful.  Everything goes wrong.  We ended up at the hospital a few days ago…”

“He hit you?”

“What? No.  An unfortunate accident involving my cat mistaking him for an intruder and attacking him...at an inopportune time,” Hux said delicately.

“Ouch.”

“Yes, it was painful for all parties, but that is beside the point.  We aren’t compatible.  We are opposites, and it just doesn’t work,” Hux insisted, finishing off his drink.

“You haven’t really explained why you haven’t done it yet,” she noted, fixing him a second drink.

“He’s...charming.  Not traditionally so, but charming nonetheless.  He listens to everything I say. He challenges me, and when we aren’t having catastrophic sex, he’s supportive and understanding, and handsome. God, if he could hear me, he wouldn’t let me live it down,” Hux said, swirling around his drink.

“No, keep going, this guy sounds like a winner.  How long you been seeing him.” That wasn’t the bartender.  Ben’s distinct voice spoke behind him sounding both angry and amused, if that was possible.

Hux choked on his drink and he whipped around to find Ben standing there with his arms at his sides.  His hair was still a mess, and his glasses somehow dulled the heat of his gaze.

“What are you doing here? I thought you had a lot of outlining to do?” Hux asked, gripping his glass like it might rescue him from this humiliation.

“I was finishing up when you stormed out.  Then Simone texted me when a despondent ginger with a blood thirsty cat came in and started drinking gin,” Ben said, stepping forward and prying the glass out of Hux’s fingers then pushing it across the bar.  “Food menus,” he told the bartender.

“Traitor,” Hux muttered at the bartender as Ben ushered him to a booth instead.

They sat down, facing eat other.  Neither of them spoke immediately.  They watched each other with sharp eyes, searching for weaknesses.  

Ben rested his elbows on the tabletop, and Hux couldn’t help looking at the way his muscles stretched the too tight t-shirt he wore, or the way his tattoos almost seemed alive as he adjusted his position.  His eyes were shrewd behind the lenses of his glasses, and Hux felt like he was in the hot seat.

“So, I’m charming?” Ben said eventually, when it became clear that Hux wasn’t going to start.

“I don’t know if that’s the word I’d…”

“I heard you say it,” Ben told him, biceps flexing as he leaned in a little further.

“I’ve been drinking.”

“Why is it so hard to say you find me charming, and handsome to my face? I’m not going to use you finding me attractive against you.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?” Hux retorted.

“No, I’m trying to figure out what the hell goes on in your head. You’re constantly acting like you can’t wait to be rid of me, but then today you were jealous of Marc, who is, by the way, straight and married.”

“I wasn’t jealous,” Hux insisted, but that lie was blatant.

“You asked if you were interrupting us...when I was giving him a tattoo.”

“I didn’t want to intrude.”

“You were an ass.”

Hux huffed.  “You’re constantly an ass.”

“Not to your friends.”

“You haven’t met any of my friends.”

“Exactly. You’ve met a dozen of mine, but I haven’t met a single one of yours, then you go and act like this…”

“I don’t have a dozen friends.” Hux could have punched himself.  The damn gin had gone to his head.

Ben made a frustrated sound, but he didn’t say anything else about it before ordering a burger and fries.  Hux ordered his own meal and just stared glumly at the dirty table.

“Why do you keep coming back if you hate me?” Ben asked softly.

“I don’t hate you.”

“But you want to. You act like it pains you to be attracted to me. You act like you can’t imagine why you’re in a relationship with me. You say shit like ‘all we are is bad sex’ when we’ve spent hours sitting under the stars discussing the universe or talking at length about our goals.” Ben looked frustrated, and when he laid it all out like that, Hux couldn’t exactly blame him for that.

“Ben, you just aren’t what I ordinar—”

“Kylo, it’s fucking Kylo,” he said, tearing his glasses off and dropping them on the table, so he could rub at his eyes.

“You told me Ben was fine.”

“Of course, I did. You looked two seconds away from walking out the minute you saw me.  You had me pegged as a useless rebel with nothing going for him, and you would’ve heard Kylo Ren and walked right out…”

“You think your name would’ve been the last straw?  Hardly.  The biker jacket and the piercings were definitely closer to making me run for the hills than your name,” Hux retorted.

“You don’t fucking get it.  I’ve bent over backwards just to have a chance with you.  I know we’re not even in each other’s orbits, but I saw you on that stupid app with your stupid scowl and that awful sweater vest, and I fucking knew I wanted to know you.  I knew there was something behind all of that disdain.  But, I’ve been trying for weeks to crack through, and every time I think I’ve done it, you turn around and set me back at square one.” Kylo gripped the edge of the table as though he might flip the thing at any moment.

Hux didn’t know what to say.  His mouth sort of hung open like a dying fish, and he wished he still had his drink to cling to.

“I’m a fucking catch, Hux.  I know you just see an asshole with too many tattoos trying to piss off his parents, but that’s because you refuse to see anything else.  I’ve worked my ass off.  You know how close I was to becoming a priest when I threw in the towel?  I might as well have been a bride that left her husband at the altar.  I was right fuckin’ there, and I walked away.  I had to build my life from scratch without any money or options because a theology degree isn’t exactly in demand.  I couch surfed, I sketched every second I wasn’t doing dawn-to-dusk shifts at the mini golf place.  I starved myself to have money for my kit. I’m not pretty to look at, and I wear my struggles in my skin, but I put in the blood, sweat, and tears to get here.  I’m not the fucking weak link here,” Kylo told him, balling his fists on the table.

Hux opened and closed his mouth several times.  “I…” What did one say to that?  “I don’t…” Hux took a breath.  He really looked at Ben...Kylo.  He looked him up and down and tried to form a coherent argument for his behavior, but there really wasn’t one.  “As you are well aware, I am not particularly good at relationships or...human interaction,” Hux told him self deprecatingly.

“That’s it? That’s your defense? I—” Kylo just stopped mid thought, and Hux could see his eyes glisten like he was on the brink of tears.  That seemed to jolt something in Hux’s mind.

“I don’t know how to show affection to anything other than my cat.  It’s been a recurring problem in my relationships, and it was easier to let them dissolve than to fix what’s wrong with me.  I came into this because my friend thought I could do with getting laid, which is about all I am capable of without majorly fucking up.  I wasn’t prepared to fall for you.  I wasn’t prepared for anything but a one night stand, and I am still uncertain I am prepared for more than that, but you were...you _are_...like no one I’ve ever been with.  You don’t let me be lazy, though I seem determined to be just that.  But, I am attracted to you.  You are handsome and articulate and sweet.  You make me second guess my instinct to run, and while I may not be good at showing it, I look forward to our time together,” Hux told him, feeling completely breathless as he laid his heart out there for Kylo.  He had fallen for him, and it was a hard fall.

Kylo shook his head, and a tear actually did escape.  “I’m glad we went to Maz’s today and got you a kit, so you can go fuck yourself with it,” he said, grabbing his glasses and getting out of the booth.

Hux sat there once again flapping like a fish as he watched Kylo stalk to the bathroom.  The food came while Kylo was in there, and Hux just stared at his meal.  

“Another gin and tonic,” he said as Simone asked if he needed anything.

“Can’t I give you advice instead?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  

“Does that cost extra?” Hux asked, feeling foolish for having this sort of conversation in the middle of a restaurant.  

“This one’ll be on the house, so I suggest listening carefully because my advice doesn’t come cheap,” she said, sitting down across from him.

Hux rolled his eyes, but he was almost positive that Kylo had bailed on him, so it wasn’t like he was waiting on his return.

“You are the only common factor in every relationship you have.  Any doubts you have about Kylo reflect back on you, so what are you really afraid of?  Is it Kylo’s tattoos and piercings? His leather jacket and torn jeans? Or is it that when it comes down to it you aren’t completely happy with yourself, and your projecting those disappointments onto him?”

“You got all of this from two gin and tonics and a hushed conversation?” Hux asked, hating that her words it home.

“No. Kylo’s a regular. I’ve been hearing his drunken confessions for as long as he’s had the shop...but you know what?”

“I suppose you will tell me no matter what I say.”

“Damn right because chosen ignorance is bullshit.  Kylo’s been damn happy these last few weeks.  Not just ‘just had an awesome hook up’ happy, but that fulfilled sort of happy when you think you’re onto something special.”

“I should go after him,” Hux sighed.

“No. Don’t go after him until you sort yourself out. He deserves better than some lame-ass excuse about self doubt.”

“So, you did hear that.”

She snorted.  “You’re all the same.”  She got up and walked away.

“Can I have the check?  And a to-go box?” Hux asked, looking down at their untouched food.

She came back with a box and dropped it on the table.  “Food’s paid for, now get out of my sight or next time I’m calling the Knights instead.”

Hux sighed as he collected his food and walked out of the restaurant.  He glanced at the tattoo parlor as he walked to his car, but he could see the sign was turned to closed.  He wondered if Kylo was inside cleaning, or perhaps getting a tattoo because that seemed to be his way of handling emotions.  It didn’t matter.  It wasn’t Hux’s business.

Sitting in his car, Hux looked at the passenger seat and sighed.  It was covered in bags from the sex shop.  Just thinking about it made color rush to Hux’s cheeks.  Never in his life had he felt so out of his element, but never in his life had he felt this...awake.

It was like he’d woken up from years of hibernation.  The stars were brighter.  The air crisper.  Things had meaning that had once just been routine.  Sex was uncomfortable, but even that was better than the mechanical dullness he’d experienced before.  It was like he was experiencing life in high definition after years and years of static.  And it _hurt_.

Hux turned his key in the ignition as the first pangs of heartbreak hit him.  Hux gritted his teeth as he put the car into gear and drove home.  

 


	12. Chapter 12

“It’s hopeless, Millie.  I’m broken...no, I’m—”

Hux was interrupted by an almost violent hiccup which he soothed with another sip of wine.

“Where was I, darling?” he asked his cat, who was miraculously humoring him by sitting on the table in front of him.  “Oh yes,” he continued, without any response from his cat. “I was saying that I might as well be a robot. All calculation and computation, but no…” 

Hiccup.

“...no social sense.”

Millicent rolled onto her side, presenting her belly to him with what could only be an expectant look.  Hux didn’t even hesitate to press his palm to her soft fur and gently pat her how she liked.

“Why are humans so complicated?  Is it not enough that I’m willing to have sex and share a meal with a partner?  Why must there be all of these... _ emotional complications _ ?” he asked, sounding like he had a bad taste in his mouth.  “I am a brilliant scientist. I shape the minds of our future scientists. I own my own house. I have an excellent credit score. I even own one of those panini press things. I am a catch!”

Millicent stretched out her paw and placed it on his wrist as he slowly began to scratch her belly.  Her purrs rumbled loudly between them.

“You love me.  Surely, that is an excellent endorsement.  Cats are impeccable judges of character. After all, you knew immediately that Ben...that  _ Kylo  _ was no good for us.  He’s rebellious and uncoothe.  He probably has terrible credit, and his apartment is an absolute bachelor pad.  And he will eat anything regardless of the consequences. He nearly soiled himself on a date, Millie!  Then he left me tied to the bed. What if he had a heart attack due to that meal? I could’ve been trapped there, and I have no interest in learning what a decomposing body smells like, especially after Taco World dinner.  I have a delicate sense of smell,” Hux rambled as Millie slowly drifted off to sleep.

Hux went to take another sip of his wine only to find that the glass was empty.  He looked at the two bottles beside him on the table, but they were empty as well.  He couldn’t remember how long he’d been sitting here, and he wasn’t sure whether he had opened both bottles today or if they’d already been opened when he started.

Without giving it much thought, Hux rose from his seat and went to the wine rack he had on the counter. A wine rack full of carefully selected wines from around the world.  Something Kylo would never indulge in. 

Hux ran his fingers through his messy hair as he attempted to read the labels.  Most of them were just a blur, so he picked one at random. Thy were all excellent after all.

“Thank the stars for Phasma and her battery operated bottle opener,” Hux proclaimed as he pressed the electric opener onto the top of the bottle, smiling as it did all of the work for him.  His wine addled brain was merciful enough not to remind him that she’d bought him that as a gift after watching him struggle, and ultimately fail, to open a bottle of wine.

Hux poured himself a substantial glass of wine before taking his set in front of Millie once again.  He brushed his fingers over her thick coat before taking his first sip of this glass.

“As I was saying, Millicent dear, Kylo is a terrible match for me…” Hux drained the glass in three gulps.  “..but I miss him terribly. It’s been…” Hux glanced at the clock on the microwave, squinting against the alcohol making his vision double, “...eighteen hours and thirty-nine minutes since I last saw him, and I haven’t received so much as a filthy picture from him. I miss that cock. Despite its pierced and dangerous appearance, it was...quite striking.”

Hux swiped at the tears making their way down his face.  He was rarely an emotional drunk. He wasn’t often this drunk, though.  

“He would do this thing when he sleeps where he’d moan softly out of the blue, like even in the depths of sleep he could find pleasure...he just couldn’t find it with me...and his hands…” Hux sighed, staring down at his own hand.  “They were perfect. His penis...Millicent, you must agree that you have not see such an impressive specimen in all your nine lives.” 

Hux ignored the fact that in all likelihood, Millicent had probably only ever seen his penis.  That wasn’t important. 

Sighing, Hux put his head down on the table.  “I’ve made a mess, Millie. I’ve made messes before, but this may be my defining mess,” Hux told the glossy wood.  “He watched the stars with me. He got a nebula tattoo...and a dragon. He saw me as a dragon. No one’s ever seen me as a dragon.  And he sent me lingerie,” Hux said, reaching down into his pants and running his fingers over the lace within them. “He wasn’t afraid to challenge me...none of the others ever did that.  Most of them were just relieved when I stopped talking.”

Hux stood from his seat on wobbly legs.  He began to pace across the space of his kitchen.  “I cannot lose him, Millie. I won’t,” Hux said with sudden conviction.  “Polar opposites attract. It is scientific fact. Who am I to dispute a law replicated over and over?  It would be pure hubris to deny it. Where is my phone?”

Stalking across the kitchen, Hux found his phone beneath the table where he’d dropped it earlier.  Pressing the home button, he discovered that it was out of battery. Cursing, Hux went in search of the charger, nearly tripping over various items he’d thrown in an earlier rage.

When he plugged his phone in, he waited impatiently as it started up, hoping there would be a message from Kylo waiting for him.  Perhaps one that apologized for breaking Hux’s heart and offering to make it up to him...with sex and talk of the super moon that was approaching.

Hux bit his lip as he opened his conversation with Kylo once the phone had started.  He felt his stomach drop when there were no new messages from Kylo. There was only a wall of messages that Hux had sent throughout his bender.  

The messages had started out disbelieving, and they had devolved into upset ramblings.  Unfortunately, in his current state, Hux was incapable of realizing that he should’ve stopped ten messages ago, and so he began to compose another.

_ —Kylo, I have given our situation great thought, and my superior intellect has come to the conclusion that we are meant to be together.  Like polar opposites, we were destined to attract. As inferior beings, there is little we could have done to prevent such a natural attraction.  While I have fought this to the best of my ability, for it is truly inconvenient, who am I to deny the mechanism of natural law? Our attraction is a force of nature neither of us is capable of denying.  Like the gravity that holds the Earth and moon in each others orbit, we are constantly falling for one another. It would go against Newtonian Law to try to break it, and you may not know this, but Newton is one of my greatest inspirations.  It feels only right to honor him with our love, true proof of his life’s work. Please respond with due haste.— _

Hux reread the message, correcting any grammatical errors that he caught before hitting send.  “Yes, that should make him see the light,” Hux muttered, keeping his phone in hand as he expected an immediate response.

“Not to worry, Millie.  I have solved everything,” Hux called over his shoulder.  “I know you aren’t terribly fond of him, but with time, perhaps you can grow to tolerate him as I have.”

Hux walked back to the kitchen and began to clean up.  He put the empty bottles in the recycling and rinsed out his wine glass.

“Perhaps I should take out the bottle of champagne I didn’t drink for New Year’s.  This is a moment for celebration, after all,” Hux said, running his fingers through his wildly messy hair.

Walking to the basement door, he shuffled down the stairs quickly.  He walked to the refrigerator that he had down there and pushed things aside until he found the fancy bottle of champagne he’d been saving for a special occasion.  He pulled it out and quickly brought it back upstairs.

Hux took the foil off the bottle and removed the safety cap from the top of the cork before opening the cabinet to take out a champagne flute.  It was as he was placing the flute on the counter that his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Hux fished his phone out as he still held the bottle in his other hand.  He quickly thumbed the password in and waited for Kylo’s message of forgiveness to appear.

—I hope you’re drunk because if this is your idea of an apology, you’re a bigger asshole than I thought you were.  Your theory is a crock of shit, and Newton can suck my sweaty nuts. He didn’t discover magnets, and while dating you could be compared to getting clocked on the head by rotting fruit, Newton wouldn’t find it profound.  Please stop texting me nonsense, I’m trying to work.—

The bottle of champagne slipped from Hux’s fingers, hitting the kitchen floor with a resounding thunk. The bottle did not break, but it sent Millie tearing out of the room.

Hux reread the message again, confused as to how Kylo could have possibly missed the sincerity and profundity of Hux’s words.  

“He insulted Sir Isaac Newton.  How dare he?” Hux complained, just a the cork on the bottle gave under the pressure building inside and shot up to the ceiling, bouncing back and hitting Hux on the head.  Champagne burst up as well, showering Hux and the nearby area in expensive bubbly. 

“At least my alcohol believes in Newtonian law,” Hux sighed, wiping his hair out of his face and licking the champagne from his lips.  “Perhaps alcohol and I were the better match all along.”

Hux picked up the bottle which had finally stopped spewing like a homemade volcano, and he drank a heavy gulp of what remained in the bottle.  He choked on it as the dry wine tickled his throat.

“Typical.  All that money, and it tastes like shit,” he muttered, dumping the rest down the drain before throwing a towel over the puddle on the floor and leaving it until he’d gotten some sleep.

“Come on, Millie,” Hux said, picking her up from the first landing on the stairs.  He held her away from his body to avoid making her fur sticky with champagne. He kicked his bedroom door shut behind him and placed her down on the bed while he stripped out of his clothes.  

Hux didn’t care that it was 11 in the morning.  He shucked his clothes, leaving his lacy undergarments.  He caught his reflection in his full length mirror, and he stopped and stared at himself.

“Am I grossly unattractive, Millie?” he asked, running his palm down his chest and over his belly.  He cupped himself through the lace and studied his body before shaking his head and walking over to the bed.  “What does it matter anyway? I am truly terrible at intercourse, possibly worse than I am at relationships. I will just die alone.”  Hux collapsed onto the covers dramatically and promptly passed out.

* * *

“Have you been experimenting in the house again?” Phasma’s loud voice broke through the sweet oblivion.

Hux’s brain immediately began to scream as he was torn from the clutches of sleep.

“My god, I can smell the alcohol from here, and I’m ten feet away from you,” she complained.  

“Go away and let me waste away,” Hux groaned, squeezing his eye closed tighter in an attempt to keep the light at bay.

“You can’t waste away yet.  The science fair is almost upon us, and you are too anal to let anyone else take over and risk doing it wrong,” Phasma said, walking over to the bed and smacking his bare thigh.  “As nice as that lace looks covering your pale ass, maybe you want to put some clothes on.”

“I’ve known true humiliation. My unsatisfactory flesh cannot humiliate me anymore than my inferior mind already has,” Hux lamented.

“Oh lord, you’re still drunk and melancholy.  When did you go to sleep?”

“Around eleven…”

“Last night?” Phasma asked in shock.

“No, this morning.  I drank through the night, emulating Hemingway.  Kylo probably loves Hemingway, the degenerate,” Hux said, rolling onto his back.

“Whoa, I do not need this sort of horror show right now.  Put your damn dick away,” she told him, throwing something resembling a blanket over his exposed crotch.

“I did not ask you to come shrieking,” Hux told her.

“Get your ass in the shower and downstairs.  Whatever happened to you needs sorting out before work tomorrow, and make it a quick shower,” she said firmly before sweeping out of the room.

Hux groaned as he finally opened his eyes.  He slowly sat up, immediately feeling ill as he got upright.  “Why could I not have suffered spontaneous human combustion or an equally improbable fate?” he asked as he stumbled to the bathroom.  He didn’t even bother to remove his panties before stepping into the cold stream off the shower.

By the time Hux made it downstairs and into the kitchen, Phasma had cleaned the entire room.  It was actually cleaner than when Hux did anxiety scrubbing which was particularly impressive.

“Hair of the dog is on the counter.  Pinch your nose as you drink it. I don’t want to be cleaning anything else up in here...well, ever,” she told him, pointing her manicured nail at the glass waiting on the edge of the counter.  

“A gun and bullets would be more helpful,” Hux said, stepping over to the glass and drinking it down in several gulps.  His stomach twisted uncomfortably, but he didn’t bring it back up.

“You’re ridiculously melodramatic today.  To what do we owe this auspicious occasion?”

“Kylo never wishes to see me again,” Hux told her.

“What did you do?”

“Why do you—”

“Because you are excellent at driving people away.  Hell, the more you like someone the better you are at pushing them away.”

“I thought you wanted me to get rid of Kylo anyway.”

“I didn’t want you getting hurt, Hux.  A little sex on the side is one thing, but feelings are dangerous.”

“I am well aware of the danger of  _ feelings _ ,” Hux said the word as if it was dirty.

“So, what was the final straw?” she asked, taking a seat at the table.

“I cannot say precisely what the final straw was.  Let’s just say that I might as well have been a tornado of relationship destruction.  A tornado that lasted nearly twenty-four hours, continuing to humiliate myself and dig a grave for our relationship so deep that I may have hit mantle,” Hux said, sliding his phone across the table.

“Thank god, you don’t teach literature because I have a hard enough time understanding your science speak,” she said, tapping in the password to his phone and checking his messages.

Hux sighed as he watched her eyes grow wider with each message that she read.  

“Oh god, you explained in gross detail the compatibility of your genitals.  Wow, I don’t think anyone needs to know that about your colon. Oh that’s not even the worst of—” Phasma looked up at him with a completely shocked expression.  “Is this some kind of horrid joke?”

“Which part?  Most of the bender is a bit blurry.”

“The diagram you drew on a napkin of his genitals and your ass and your calculations for lubricant and angle.”

“Yes, I would have kept it too, but I spilled wine on it shortly after I sent the picture.”

“Are you out of your mind?” she asked, going back to scrolling through his messages.  “You sent him your resume and references…”

“I wanted him to realize that I am quite qualified, and others would be dying to have me,” Hux defended himself.”

“Are you trying to win him back or get a job offer?”

“Is a relationship not a job?” Hux asked, sighing heavily.

“You are so fucked.  That’s it,” Phasma said pushing his phone back to him.

“That’s it?  You didn’t even get to the part where he disparaged Sir Isaac Newton.  I cannot forgive such a slight.”

Phasma rolled her eyes and pulled the phone back, reading quickly.  “Oh my god! ‘While I have fought this to the best of my ability, for it is truly inconvenient, who am I to deny the mechanism of natural law?’ What the fuck, Mr. Darcy?”

“Who is Mr. Darcy?”

“You are, you complete idiot.  You told him your attraction is inconvenient!  You’re lucky he didn’t show up and hit you upside the head like you deserve.  That’s it. You need to apologize...properly.” Phasma got up from her seat. “We need inspiration.  Get Millicent. We’re going to my house.”

“What’s at your house?” Hux asked.

“My wife’s stash of romantic comedies because your bumbling has certainly reached comedic levels.  You need a Hollywood worthy apology, and you need it about three weeks ago,” Phasma said, walking to the front door.

“Can’t I just say, sorry I was terribly drunk?”

“No.  You need to lay yourself bare.  Lay yourself at his feet and beg for his mercy because you have committed  _ every  _ cardinal relationship sin.  They don’t even have a layer of relationship hell for you because no one has ever been this terrible at relationships as you.  Now hurry up.”

Hux sighed, but he gathered up Millicent and put her in her carrier.  He let Phasma drive because he was still feeling every glass of wine he’d had to drink, and it was not a pleasant sensation.

“What started this whole mess?” Phasma asked as she drove.

“I was jealous, and I acted like an ass.  Kylo was right, it is I who do not deserve him.”

“Wow.”

“What?”

“I am just shocked as hell to hear you admit it.  He’s been going all out for over a month, and you’ve been... _you_.”

“Thank you.  You are such a kind friend.”

“If I told my athletes they were doing great when they were fucking up, then I wouldn’t have a winning team.  I’m not pulling punches just because you’re new at this who feelings thing. Be an adult, Hux. You want this guy, then you need to actually try because the sex isn’t going to get any better just because you want it to neither is anything else.”

“Perhaps I should just let myself wither away and die alone.  It will save everyone a great deal of trouble.”

“Said like a true melodramatic asshole.  Just shut up and try not to ruin the interior of my car.”

Hux did as he was told because despite his most recent track record, he did know how to conduct himself most of the time.

When they arrived at Phasma’s house, her wife was already settled in front of the television with a bucket of popcorn and a stack of DVDs.  “So, I hear we are having a romcom marathon,” she said, smiling what could only be deemed mischievously.

“I don’t see how this is going to solve anything.  Real life is not a movie. Kylo is the most dramatic person I’ve ever met, but surely he would not fall for some silly romance trope.”

“Everyone falls for silly romance tropes, Hux.  It’s part of what makes us human.”

Hux sighed, but he took a seat on the couch with Millicent in his lap.  At least, Millie would keep him company through this torture. However, as soon as Phasma took her seat, Millie slipped out of Hux’s hands and curled up beside Phasma.

“Everyone leaves me,” Hux muttered beneath his breath as Phasma started the first film.  “What are you torturing me with first?”

“Obviously, the  _ 40-Year-Old Virgin, _ ” Phasma told him.

“Your humor is neither funny nor provocative.  What are we actually watching?”

“ _ Notting Hill _ ...I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her...it’s so good.  You’ll win your man back with this in no time,” Phasma’s wife told him as the movie began.

Hux was certain that that was not actually the case, but he watched the movie and found himself being drawn into it, despite his skepticism.

“I believe this movie would be more helpful if the roommate were the one she fell for.  I do not see myself or Kylo in either of these characters,” Hux said as the movie wrapped up.

“Have some imagination.  It’s not about the characters, it’s about how you can prove to Kylo that you love him.”

“I still believe telling him outright would be best.”

“You drew him a diagram of your asshole.  You need to be a little  _ less  _ outright in your approach,” Phasma said sharply.

“It was hard evidence.  I am a scientist, Phasma.  I believe in facts, not feelings.”

“Everyone is aware of that, Hux.  It doesn’t make it right.”

“Just put on the next one.”  Hux didn’t bother to ask which movie they would watch next.  It didn’t really matter. This whole idea was a bunch of nonsense.  Kylo wouldn’t buy into any of this.

Halfway through  _ Love, Actually _ Hux was on the edge of his seat, holding a disgruntled Millicent to his chest and he was truly engrossed in the lives of the characters.  Phasma tried to say something, but Hux shushed her.

“We’ve created a monster, Darling,” Phasma’s wife whispered when they were four movies in, and Mr. Darcy was rescuing Elizabeth’s family from ruin.

By the fifth movie, Hux had a notebook out and was taking excessive amounts of notes.  He’d stolen the thing out of Phasma’s desk when he’d excused himself to the bathroom, and no one was about to argue with him about it.

“You okay over there?” Phasma asked when they’d finished watching _The Lake House_ _. _

“I have devised the perfect plan to win him back,” Hux told her.

“Mind sharing with the class?”

“No time.  I must prepare,” Hux said, rising from the couch with Millicent in hand and stalking to the door.  He paused only once he got there. “Mind driving me home?”

Phasma shook her head as she got to her feet and grabbed her keys.  


End file.
